The first crack came from outside.
A voice, harsh and clipped, carried through the trees: "Search deeper. The cave's near."
Torchlight flared against the stone mouth, jagged shapes cutting through the branches. Shadows stretched long across the cave wall, overlapping with the creature's own as though the forest itself conspired to hem her in.
Aria's breath hitched. Her grip on the blade slipped, then clenched again. No escape. No help.
The shadow's smile widened. It had waited long enough.
The air thickened suddenly, so heavy it punched the breath from her chest. The whispers stopped all at once, replaced by a single, resonant thrum, the mark at her throat, surging like a struck bell. The creature stepped closer. This time it didn't stop.
