The forest was ancient—its trees towering high, bark gnarled with age, and canopies so thick they blocked out most of the sunlight. The air was damp, rich with the scent of moss and distant rainfall. As the caravan wound through the narrow trail, even the horses seemed uneasy. Every shadow held secrets. Every broken twig set nerves on edge.
Reed rode near the front, his Skyrend Griffon hatchling nestled in his cloak, eyes darting about with an almost human awareness. Jaxon and Kade walked beside the wagons, constantly scanning their surroundings, while Elias rode near Sinthia, quietly trading card tricks and occasional jokes to ease the tension between them.
"Feels like the trees are watching us," Sinthia muttered.
"They probably are," Elias replied with a half-smile, but his tone wasn't joking.
They made camp that evening near a clearing, circled by tall trees with thorny vines creeping along their trunks. The caravan guards built a fire and circled the wagons, while Lady Arwen ensured the cargo was locked away with triple the security.
As darkness fell, an unnatural silence settled. No insects chirped. No owls called. Just the soft crackle of the fire and the occasional creak of wagon wheels adjusting on uneven earth.
Jaxon sat cross-legged, both his bodies facing opposite directions—one watching the forest, the other staring into the flames. Kade sharpened his blades quietly, eyes glowing faintly beneath his hood. Reed stood near the griffon, offering it pieces of dried meat as it chirped and ruffled its wings. Elias shuffled his cards silently, eyes flicking toward the shadows.
Then, a low growl echoed from the treeline.
A second followed. Then a third.
Before anyone could react, shapes lunged from the darkness—hulking creatures with fur like black smoke and eyes that burned a sickly green. Their claws left glowing trails through the air as they moved faster than any beast should.
"Beastkin!" one of the guards shouted—right before one of the creatures ripped him off his feet and into the shadows.
"Positions!" Kade growled, his chains flaring to life.
The group snapped into motion.
Jaxon's symbiote form lashed out first, catching one of the charging beasts mid-leap and hurling it into a tree with bone-crushing force. His human form followed, blades slicing into another's flank, spilling thick black ichor that sizzled against the dirt.
Kade's chains coiled like serpents, wrapping around a beast's throat and lifting it off the ground. With a flick of his wrist, the chains jerked, snapping its neck in one clean motion.
Elias's cards glowed brightly. "Guardian of the Dawn," he called, tossing a card that erupted into a radiant knight clad in golden armor. The knight intercepted a beast mid-attack, shield clashing against claws.
Sinthia moved in a blur, her twin daggers cutting precise arcs through the chaos. She slipped between one beast's legs, carving deep into its tendons before springing up and driving her blade into its back.
Reed activated his Healing Domain, but he didn't stop there—his hands glowed with biolight as he reached out and touched a wounded guard, instantly sealing gashes and restoring strength. Then he turned and placed a hand on one of the attacking beasts. Its body spasmed violently, cellular systems overloaded with confusion and decay, collapsing from within.
Despite their coordination, the beasts kept coming. Dozens, maybe more, drawn by something unseen.
"We need to get out of the open!" Lady Arwen shouted, fending off an attacker with a short sword.
"We'll be overwhelmed!" Elias yelled, glancing around for a solution. Then he spotted a cliff face behind the trees—there was a narrow path leading up. "There! We push through and regroup!"
Jaxon nodded. "We'll cover the retreat."
One by one, the guards and merchants began to move, aided by Reed's barriers and Elias's summoned creatures. Kade's chains created a wall of spinning blades, holding the beasts at bay as the rest fell back.
As the last wagon cleared the path, the group followed, retreating up the incline until they reached a rocky overhang. The beasts didn't follow—they stood at the base of the trail, staring silently, their green eyes glowing like lanterns in the dark.
"They're not normal," Sinthia said, panting. "They were waiting for us."
"They were sent," Elias added grimly. "Probably by the Blackfire Cult. Or worse."
As dawn broke, the group watched the forest below from the safety of the cliffs. For now, they had survived. But whatever was hunting them wasn't finished.
And they were no longer safe—not in the forest, not on the road, not anywhere.