I kept glancing around as we moved forward, every few steps making my skin prickle. The terrain had changed from the rocky mouth of the cave to a dry, cracked ground, scattered with dead roots and patches of brittle weeds.
The sky above was dull gray, not cloudy but lifeless. No bird was singing or insects crawling, there was no sound except our boots pressing into the dirt.
Damon walked ahead, his shoulders stiff. Alaric and Mr. Four Eyes flanked the sides, both unusually quiet. Sothing was off with all three of them, but I couldn’t put my finger on it.
Rhydian walked at the front, his steps calm as always. He reached into a small leather pouch and brought out what looked like a tiny glowing insect, except it shimred like it was made of crystal.
Its wings fluttered without a sound, and a faint light pulsed from its core. It hovered above his palm before lifting into the air and darting ahead of us like a lantern on an invisible string.
"What is that?" I asked, moving up beside him.
He glanced at . "A path-lighter. They are used to find directions. It’ll lead us through safely as long as it doesn’t get eaten first."
I blinked. "Eaten by what?"
"Witches. Sotis hungry spirits. It just depends."
I didn’t know whether he was joking or not, so I didn’t ask again. I looked ahead, watching the crystal insect light a faint trail across the dry brush.
The silence between us was oddly comforting. Now and then I looked back at the others. Damon’s jaw was still clenched.
Alaric’s hand kept twitching near his hip like he expected sothing to jump out at us. Mr. Four Eyes muttered to himself as he walked, his brows furrowed behind those lenses.
We walked for hours, stopping only once to drink and catch our breath. The land around us started to change again, slowly turning from dried cracked earth to patches of moss and scattered trees. The trees didn’t have leaves, except dark bark and thick branches that curled in odd directions.
The path-lighter dipped low, weaving through the trees. We followed it.
I stepped lightly, my fingers brushing against one of the twisted trunks. It was cold... colder than it should’ve been. Like the tree was dead, but sohow breathing.
A faint crack like a twig snapping echoed through the silent air.
Everyone froze in their tracks.
I barely had ti to react before Damon, Alaric, and Mr. Four Eyes moved into position, forming a protective arc around . Rhydian stepped forward, lifting one hand slightly, his hand shimred with blue energy.
Then sothing blurred through the forestless forest... that was the na I decided to call it.
Figures erged from behind the trees, so crouched in the bushes, and others dropped from the crooked branches above.
Rogues. And they were not just werewolves. I saw one with pale skin, red-stained teeth, and eyes that glowed like burning coals...a vampire. My breath hitched, and my hands intently flew to my neck.
’Oh no. Why am I so unlucky?’
Another had long clawed fingers and skin that flickered with strange, rippling marks. It was a demon with corrupted magic, his eyes were as black as night and they looked sinister.
But the one that made my breath catch stood directly in front of us.
She dropped from the highest branch without a sound, landing swiftly like a monkey.
’Now I feel that is a little disrespectful to the monkeys.’
Her hair was black and tangled with pieces of bone and thread hanging inside. Her teeth were sharp and blackened, her lips were cracked, like she hadn’t moisturised them for decades.
Her eyes slitted like a cat’s but glowing green. She wore a dark dress that looked stitched together from old robes and animal hide. Her presence felt wrong... not because she looked terrifying but because the magic around her reeked of rot and blood.
A corrupted witch.
She grinned slowly, tilting her head. "Fae... and sothing else," she said, sniffing the air. "You all reek of misplaced loyalty."
The other rogues began to close in. A few vampires lingered in the shadows of the trees. I could hear their soft hisses, their claws dragging against the tree’s bark. One of the demons cracked its knuckles.
The witch’s gaze landed on . "You shine too bright for this place," she whispered, taking a step forward. "Almost too pureee." She purred.
Damon was in front of before I could even blink, his arm stretched slightly to the side like a barrier. His voice was low. "Touch her, and I’ll tear your spine out."
The witch’s smile widened. "Oh? Do you think I fear mutts without fangs?"
Alaric growled low under his breath. Mr. Four Eyes slowly pulled a short blade from under his cloak, and Rhydian’s arm started to glow brighter.
I felt my heart pounding in my chest, the air tightening with every breath.
They were outnumbered. And we were surrounded.
Still... none of them backed down.
The witch raised a finger and made a strange swirling motion in the air, the ground beneath her pulsing with dark green light.
Rhydian took a sharp step forward. "Back off," he warned. "You have no idea who you’re dealing with."
The witch paused, her expression curious. Then she flicked her wrist... and all hell broke loose.
The vampires lunged from the trees. The demon roared, sending a wave of fire at us. The witch muttered sothing in an ancient tongue, and thick vines began to sprout from the ground, trying to grab at our feet.
Damon grabbed my arm and shoved behind him. "Don’t move," he growled.
The air exploded with chaos.
Alaric and Rhydian t the rogues head-on, their blades flashing. Mr. Four Eyes threw a small tal orb that burst into light, scattering the vampires montarily.
Damon ducked low and slamd his fist into the ground, sending a shockwave that knocked one of the demons off balance but I noticed sothing strange.
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