The forest swallowed them whole.
Tall pines rose like black pillars against the pale morning sky, their branches whispering with each gust of wind. Frost clung to every needle, glittering faintly where the light filtered through. The silence here wasn't peaceful, it was taut, as if the whole wood were listening.
Aria stumbled once, catching herself against a trunk. Her body ached with every step, the memory of the aqueduct fight carved into her muscles. But worse than the ache was the hum, soft, insistent, rising again in the base of her throat. The mark burned faintly, pulsing in rhythm with her heart.
Kael glanced back at her. His cloak shifted with the motion, revealing the faint smear of blood along his jaw, though he didn't seem to notice. "Keep moving. We'll rest once we've put at least ten miles between us and the wall."
Aria lifted her hands to sign, They'll track us anyway.
Kael's mouth tightened. "They'll try."
