The pinnace scraped against the muddy shore and one by one, they climbed out. Every step released the faint squelch of mud, and the fog clung to their clothes like a second skin.
Draevyn was the first to take point, a ball of flame hovering in his hand as he scanned the tree line. Esmyra and Jak followed closely behind, the rest of the crew fanning out in a cautious formation.
As they entered the forest, the trees closed in around them, their trunks gnarled as roots twisted above the ground. The canopy was so dense that only shards of gray light broke through.
“Jenli hides out here because no one dares to follow,” Jak admitted.
“Well, I wonder why.” Esmyra couldn’t help her sarcasm.
“Terrana guards its secrets well, and this swamp…” he glanced around, “…typically is enough to keep the curious out. And most who wander in never make it back.”
Ren snorted under his breath, though it came out more like a nervous laugh. “Or maybe she chose it because she’s fuckingmad, mate.”
Esmyra raised a brow and turned to the stag shifter. “You know Jenli?”
“Unfortunately,” he let out with a sigh.
“That never stopped you from trying to fuck her when we hid her all those years ago,” Jak growled, shooting him a sharp look.
Ren’s mouth fell open, and Esmyra snorted. “Well, well, well, the truth comes out.”
“Just because she’s beautiful doesn’t mean the woman isn’t out of her mind,” Ren countered.
“Don’t knock it ‘til you try it,” Draevyn cut in from up ahead, peering over his shoulder at them. He shrugged. “It keeps things fun.”
Esmyra let out a laugh as she kicked a rock at the back of his boots.
“For the love of Villaem, can we stop talking about my cousin this way?” Jak grumbled.
“You started it!” Ren yelled.
Riven nudged him with his elbow. “Maybe I’ll take a stab at her.”
“By all means!” Ren shoved at him until he stumbled into a tree.
The crew fell quiet again as they trudged deeper. Strange noises echoed through the woods, like low croaks, the flutter of unseen wings, and the distant splash of something moving through water.
Esmyra stopped short, a gasp rushing out of her as she caught sight of something in the trees. She called on her power instinctively and let out a hiss as it refused to answer.
Tits, this is getting so old.
Eyes appeared through the trees, glowing faintly and scattering as they watched. She thought it was a trick of the darkened woods, but as they moved, the eyes followed, blinking slowly. The crew began to mutter under their breaths, hands tightening on weapons as their nerves frayed.
“What the hells is that?” Riven whispered.
Jak’s hand hovered near his sword, but he didn’t draw it. “Ignore them. They’ll only watch so long as we stay on the path.”
“What path?” Samwell muttered.
Esmyra glanced down, and sure enough, there was a barely visible trail of darker earth winding between the trees, almost as if it had been worn down by something ancient.
“Just keep walking,” Jak ordered as he caught up with Draevyn. “Don’t look away from the path.”
The path grew narrower as they walked for miles, swallowed by the fog until the crew could only see a few feet ahead. Each step squelched against the wet earth, and the tension among the crew stretched tighter with every passing second.
Then—click.
Everyone froze mid-step, eyes wide.
