The cold should have numbed her fingers by now, but Sienna barely felt it.
She held Aldric tighter, his dead weight pressing against her as she struggled to keep him upright.
His tunic was damp beneath her hands, torn and stained, a stark contrast to the warmth he used to carry. His breathing was too shallow, too fragile. She didn't know how much longer he could last.
Kael stood at her side, dagger clenched so tightly his knuckles had gone white. His free hand hovered near the door, tense, hesitant. His breaths were slow, measured, but Sienna could feel the restraint in him, the way he was forcing himself to stay still when every instinct screamed at him to move.
The fire had died completely, leaving nothing but a suffocating darkness. But it wasn't just the lack of light that made the room feel smaller, heavier.
It was the silence.
No wind.
No leaves shifting.
Like the world outside had simply… ceased to exist.
Kael exhaled slowly, his voice low and firm. "We don't stop. No matter what."
Sienna swallowed hard, adjusting Aldric's weight. "And if it comes back?"
Kael didn't look at her, his gaze locked on the door. "Then we don't let it take us."
The finality in his tone sent a shiver through her, but she nodded. Because there was no other choice.
Kael cracked the door open just an inch, then went completely still.
Sienna's breath caught in her throat. "What?" she whispered.
Kael didn't answer. Didn't move.
His fingers flexed around the hilt of his dagger.
Then the smell hit her.
It wasn't just damp earth or the scent of old woodsmoke.
It was blood.
Her stomach lurched.
Kael opened the door fully.
The world outside was… wrong.
The trees, once tall and distant, now loomed closer, their branches curled inward like skeletal fingers reaching for something unseen. The path that had been clear when they arrived was now barely visible beneath thick, twisting vines that hadn't been there before.
And the blood..
A dark smear, fresh and glistening, leading into the trees.
Sienna's pulse hammered in her ears.
Kael didn't hesitate. He stepped out first, shoulders squared, dagger poised, his sharp gaze scanning the shadows.
Sienna followed, adjusting Aldric's weight against her. He was so still. So cold.
Kael motioned toward the tree line, his voice barely above a whisper. "We follow the path back to the river. If we reach the caves before dawn, we..."
Snap.
A twig.
Sienna froze.
Kael was already moving, blade raised, eyes locked on the darkness beyond the trees.
A shadow shifted.
Low to the ground and fast.
Followed by silence.
Sienna's breath came in short, shallow gasps.
Kael didn't move.
Then, from the darkness—
A voice.
Low. Familiar.
Calling her name.
"Sienna."
Her blood turned to ice.
No.
No, it couldn't be.
Kael stiffened beside her. "No," he murmured under his breath.
Sienna swallowed hard, her muscles refusing to move.
Because the voice...
It was Aldric's.
But Aldric was in her arms.
Unmoving. Barely breathing.
Her hands trembled. "That's not.... That can't be..."
"I know," Kael cut her off, his voice harsh, urgent.
The voice came again.
From the trees.
"Sienna."
It was soft this time. Coaxing. Beckoning.
A trick.
But damn, it sounded just like him.
Her stomach twisted violently.
The weight in her arms. The real Aldric. Pale. Weak. Barely clinging to life.
And yet..
That voice. Calling her.
"Come."
Sienna's entire body went rigid.
Kael reacted first.
He grabbed her wrist, yanking her back toward the path. "Don't listen. We keep moving."
She didn't argue.
Didn't turn.
Didn't look back.
Because whatever was speaking with Aldric's voice…
It was still watching.
Still waiting.
And if she turned..
She wasn't sure she'd be able to look away.