"No!"
Soren gasped as Ryley suddenly seized him and dragged him toward the nearest tree.
"Wh-what are you doing—"
Ryley stomped down on a fallen branch. The wood snapped beneath him, leaving a jagged end in his hand.
Soren's eyes widened.
Before he could scramble away, Ryley shoved him down against the base of the tree and lunged over him.
"No— wait! Stop!"
The sharpened branch came straight toward his face.
Soren caught Ryley's wrist with both hands just before the jagged tip reached his eye.
"Stop it…!" he cried, panic tearing through his voice.
His arms shook violently beneath Ryley's strength.
But Ryley kept pushing.
Eloi and Angus rushed in at once, wrenching Ryley away from Soren's struggling figure beneath him.
Ryley thrashed against Angus's hold, still trying to lunge forward, while Eloi quickly planted himself between them.
