The feeling of being watched has been growing steadily for the past hour. It's not obvious, not like having eyes directly on me, but more subtle. A prickle at the back of my neck, an awareness that something or someone is tracking our movements. I keep scanning the treeline, searching for any sign of what might be observing us, but I see nothing. No movement, no shadows, no hint of a threat. Just trees and rocks and the endless path winding upward into the mountains.
But the feeling persists.
"Sol?" Kaia's voice pulls me from my surveillance. She sits on her horse just ahead of me, her posture tense. "Do you feel that?"
"We're being watched," I confirm quietly. "I don't know by what, but something's tracking us."
She nods slowly. "Should we turn back?"
"No." The word comes out with more certainty than I feel. "If they wanted to attack us, they would've done it by now. I think they're just... observing. Making sure we're not a threat."
"Dragons," she breathes, awe and fear mixing in her voice.
"Probably." I move closer to her horse, my hand resting on the hilt of the borrowed sword at my waist. We acquired basic armor from the settlement before we left, simple leather pieces that won't slow us down but might offer some protection. "Just keep moving. Stay alert."
We've been climbing for most of the day, following the path that the travelers in the settlement spoke about. The one that supposedly leads into dragon territory. The landscape has been shifting gradually, becoming more dramatic, more wild. The trees grow taller here, their trunks wider, their branches reaching toward the sky.
"There," I say, pointing ahead. "That's the path they mentioned. The one where the warriors were spotted."
Kaia peers at it, then looks at me with understanding. "We should keep to the side."
"Exactly. If dragons patrol this route, I'd rather not be on it when they pass overhead." I gesture toward the underbrush that lines the path. "It'll be slower going, but safer."
We move off the main path, guiding the horse carefully through the vegetation. It's not as difficult as I feared. The underbrush is thick but not impassable, and there's enough space between the trees that we can maintain a decent pace. The armor we borrowed makes soft creaking sounds as we move, but it's worth the slight noise for the protection it offers.
Kaia shifts in her saddle, and I move closer. "How are you feeling?"
"Fine," she says, but I can hear the strain in her voice. "The heat... it's still there. I can feel it simmering, but it's likesomething's holding it back. The magic, maybe? The closer we get, the more I can feel it. Like it's wrapping around me, keeping me stable."
"You promised to tell me the moment that changes," I remind her firmly. "The moment you feel your heat breaking through, we stop. We find shelter. I don't care where we are or what's around us."
"I know. I promise." She reaches down to touch my hand briefly. "But Sol, I really do think the magic is helping. It's strange, but I feel... safe. Protected. Like whatever's ahead wants us to arrive in one piece."
I want to believe that. I want to trust in this magic that's been guiding us, pulling Kaia forward with increasing intensity. But I'm a warrior, a protector, and trusting in invisible forces goes against every instinct I have.
Still, what choice do we have? We've come this far.
After another hour of careful progress, the trees begin to thin. The path ahead opens up, and I can see what looks like a natural pass between two mountain peaks. The travelers mentioned this too. The gateway into dragon territory.
"This is it," Kaia says quietly. "Once we go through there, there's no turning back."
"There's been no turning back since we left Valoria," I point out. "But yes. This is the threshold. Are you sure you want to continue?"
She turns in the saddle to look at me, her eyes blazing with determination. "I've never been more sure of anything in my life. Whatever's calling to me, it's just beyond that pass. I can feel it, Sol. It's so close."
I nod, squeezing her leg briefly in support. "Then we go forward. Together."
We emerge from the underbrush back onto the main path. There's no point in hiding anymore. If dragons are watching,they already know we're here. We might as well approach openly, honestly, showing that we're not trying to sneak in.
Clouds have gathered around the peaks, creating a misty veil that obscures what lies beyond. I can't see through it or get any sense of what awaits us on the other side.
"Stay close," I tell Kaia, walking beside her horse now instead of behind it.
We enter the pass, and immediately the temperature drops. It's cooler here, the air damp with moisture from the clouds. The path is wide enough for the horse, but the walls of the pass rise steeply on either side, making me feel boxed in.
The mist grows thicker as we progress, until I can barely see more than a few feet ahead. Kaia's horse whickers nervously, and she leans forward to calm him with gentle words and strokes to his neck.
"It's all right, handsome," she murmurs. "We're almost there. Just a little further."
