"Completely serious," she confirmed, shoving down her fear.
"That’s adeath trap,Banns."
"It’s a death trap forthem," she countered, her voice steady despite the chaos thrumming through her veins.
Florence’s gaze darted between them. "No. Absolutely not. I don’t even know what you’re talking about, but if it involves a ‘trap’ in this forsaken place, it’s a terrible idea."
Lewis' face drained of what little color remained. "Viv,please tell me you're not suggesting what Ithinkyou are."
"What other choice do we have?" she yelled, voice rising in desperation.
Owen, struggling to keep pace while supporting Lewis, managed a grim smirk. "Our options areallbad," he wheezed. "At least this one doesn’t involve us getting gutted immediately."
A furious shout echoed behind them, closer than before.
“Dammit, Banns,” Cirrus cursed, his expression twisting. Then, with a growl, he veered sharply to the right, cutting through thick underbrush, leaves slashing against their skin as they tore through the dense foliage.
We have minutes. Maybe less.
Their feet pounded against the earth, pushing forward, and then—there it was. The clearing.
A long, corridor-like expanse of rainforest stretched before them, lined with the monstrousMortivora arbori. Their vine-wrapped bodies lay still, their jagged, hungry maws shut tight—waiting.
"What in the names of the gods are those?" Florence stumbled to a halt. "They look like..."
"The Venus Flytrap's evil cousins?" Lewis panted, hands braced against his knees. "That's exactly what they are. Only with much bigger appetites."
Vivienne shouted to the group, exaggerating her enunciation, "Come this way, I think we lost them!"
Cirrus grabbed her arm, "What are you doing?"
She grinned at him, "I'm luring flies into a trap."
They didn't have to wait long. Enyo’s men crashed into the clearing, weapons gleaming, their eyes gleeful with the hunt.
Vivienne spun, voice sharp as a blade. "RUN!"
The group bolted, sprinting through the treacherous gauntlet. Their feet barely skimmed the ground before theMortivora arborireacted—writhing vines shot out with alarming speed, sensing movement, coiling like striking vipers.
A bloodcurdling scream tore through the clearing as one of Enyo’s men was ripped off his feet. The vines dragged him toward its gaping maw, his thrashing limbs no match for its crushing grip. His scream cut off with a sickening crunch as the plant’s enormous jaws snapped shut.
Another man tried to backpedal, his sword raised, but a different Mortivora struck lightning-fast. His blade clattered uselessly to the ground as the vines constricted, yanking him toward the darkness of its waiting mouth.
A chain reaction erupted—shouts of terror, steel swinging, the dull thud of bodies hitting the ground, helpless against the living nightmare closing in around them.
Florence gawked, half-running, half-stumbling beside Vivienne. "It’s working!"
"Move faster!" Cirrus barked, shoving Owen and Lewis ahead.
Vivienne’s lungs burned, each breath raw as she forced her legs to keep moving. Every muscle screamed for mercy, but stopping meant death. Behind them, the jungle shrieked with the sounds of slaughter—men’s dying screams cut short as the Mortivora arbori’s ravenous tendrils coiled around their prey. The wet crunch of bones breaking, the guttural hisses of the monstrous plants, and the desperate, ragged pleas of Enyo’s men filled the air.
She fought the instinct to look back. If she did, she might hesitate. If she hesitated, she might fall. And if she fell—No. Keep running.
At last, they broke through to the other side of the Mortivora arbori’s clearing. Vivienne’s heart tore from her chest, her vision blurring at the edges.
Lewis doubled over, hands braced on his knees, gulping in air. "Holy shit, we made it," he wheezed, his face slick with sweat and grime.
Owen groaned, still clutching his side, his expression twisted with pain. "Vivienne, you’re insane."
