She moved briskly along a narrow dirt path, the air crisp and cool against her skin. Each step sent a soft crunch through the silence, gravel and twigs breaking beneath her boots. Tall grasses flanked both sides of the trail, swaying gently in the morning breeze like watchers whispering secrets in the dim light.
She had been walking for hours now, the terrain growing lonelier with each mile. The road twisted through pockets of trees and sloped hills, with not a single soul in sight. And yet… she felt eyes on her.
A presence.
The invisible weight of someone tracking her prickled against the back of her neck. She didn't look back, not once. She knew better. Turning around too soon might confirm suspicion, might trigger a reaction she wasn't ready to face.
Her fingers curled tightly around the edge of her cloak. Whoever was behind her moved like a shadow, silent, constant, calculated. But Tasha didn't panic.
She had a theory.
