Then the forest groaned.
It wasn’t loud at first, just a low, deep vibration that rolled through the ground beneath us. Subtle enough that I might have missed it if I hadn’t already been on edge. But then the trees shuddered, leaves trembling, and a sharp crack split the air as a nearby trunk fractured, its bark hardening mid-splinter.
Enough to get whoever carried me to pause his steps.
Stone crept outward from the break, spreading unnaturally fast.
Another sound followed, deeper this time. A furious noise that wasn’t a roar or a shout, but something more dangerous, threaded with power that made the forest itself recoil.
The ground shook once more.
Roots burst from the earth, thickening, hardening, locking into place like stone. Trees twisted violently, their bark crystallizing into stone as the land answered a command it recognized all too well.
Whatever had taken me stumbled, a sharp curse breaking free as the world turned against them. I jostled in their hold, making me wonder how long it would be before arms dropped me.
And in that moment, as the Badlands rose in defense of whoever commanded it, I heard him. The one who was letting his power be known, and one thing was startlingly clear…
The Gorgon King was not happy.
“You have something of mine!”The growl of words was strengthened by the stone trees framing the shadow of him. Arching around him like they worshipped him.
I now understood with terrifying clarity why Theron did not need to shout to command fear. Because when he lost control, the land itself changed.
And he was coming.
The man carrying me screamed.
It was ear-splitting, the sound tearing free from his throat as the ground beneath his feet hardened without warning, stone crawling up his legs, locking him in place mid-step. He staggered, nearly dropping me as his balance failed. His grip tightened reflexively before his arms were wrenched apart by roots that burst from the earth with violent force.
I hit the ground hard, pain flaring through my side as the air left my lungs in a ragged gasp, but as quickly as it came, it was gone again. Lost to the sight of the shadowed figure of the king.
The forest was still changing.
Even more trees twisted violently, their bark crystallizing into pale stone, leaves shattering into dust as branches snapped under their own sudden weight. Stone spread outward in jagged patterns, veins of grey and white racing across the soil.
And then he stepped further out of the dark. The moonlight shining down on him now that the canopy overhead had changed.
Theron did not run.
He did not rush or issue threats. No, just breathing the same air we were breathing was enough of a threat. He appeared, emerging from between the trees as though the forest had parted for him alone. His presence pressed down on the air, making it hard to breathe.
Then I saw his eyes.
The green had disappeared, given way to a burning golden copper, but something burning from within. Power rippled beneath his skin, like stone bleeding through flesh in fleeting flashes. Marble and muscle exchanged places as though his body could no longer decide which form to wear.
The man who had taken me tried to move.
Needless to say, he didn’t get far.
Theron lifted one hand, fingers curling slowly, deliberately, and the forest answered. Roots surged upward, snapping around limbs, crushing bone with a sound that made bile rise in my throat. Stone climbed greedily over his screaming body, sealing his mouth mid-cry, freezing his expression into a mask of pure terror.
I couldn’t scream.
I couldn’t move.
I watched helplessly as Theron crossed the space between us in long strides, every step leaving the ground beneath him hardened and cracked. My abductor managed to break free with a flash of light that could have been magic. Then he ran, lunging toward Theron with a blade raised in shaking hands.
Theron didn’t look impressed.
