It’s happening because of me.
And the Hollow knows it too.
The realisation hits slowly, like ice melting down my spine. The first trial suddenly rearranges itself in my mind, every image sharper, heavier, mercilessly clear.
I wasn’t justinthat grave.
I wasmeantto be there.
Because I was the root—
the cause—
The thing that needed to be cut out before everything else could grow.
The thought turns my stomach. My pulse stutters.
I was the weed choking the world.
The mistake that started all of this.
And now that I know the truth, I can’t unsee it.
The wind whispers an eerie dance as Ryder stops in the thick of the forest. We all freeze, the hairs on my neck standing on end. Whatever it is, I feel it too.
“There’s something here,” Ryder says, and Nala leans in closer to me, her palm sweaty in my grip.
The four of us stand back to back, blades drawn, the crunch of twigs and the grind of loose stones echoing through the blackened trees. We turn in a slow circle, eyes sweeping the shadows, listening for what Ryder heard.
Then the earth quakes—deep, violent, and unmistakable.
The tenari.
The ground splits open between us. I stumble as dirt caves beneath my boots, a fissure yawning wide as the beast erupts from the depths with a thunderous crack. Its eyes burn with a feral, ravenous hunger. A hunger fixed entirely on us.
I push myself upright, my wrists throbbing from the impact, but I barely gain my footing before the tenari lunges. I have to think quickly, throwing myself sideways. Its massive body slamsinto a tree where I stood a heartbeat before, reducing the trunk to splinters with a sickening crunch.
The blast sends a wave of dust rolling through the darkness. I cough and swipe at the air, trying to clear the thick haze stinging my eyes.
“I can’t see anything!” Nala chokes out beside me.
“I know, just stay close,” River says through a cough.
“No sudden movements,” Ryder warns with a steady voice and even steadier hands—but my chest is already seizing, shallow breaths betraying me.” Remember it can’t see.”
We stand frozen in the thin strips of moonlight filtering through the canopy. Dust hangs in a fog around us. Then a heavy scraping sound skitters through the trees, making my skin crawl. A screech follows, sharp enough to make my teeth clatter.
Silence.
The dust settles. The earth steadies. The forest seems to hold its breath.
“Is it gone?” Nala whispers, but her question doesn’t have time to settle like the dust.
A roar tears the air apart.
The ground shudders under our feet as the tenari surges toward us. River reacts first, flicking knives into the darkness. Without his Gifts, they thud harmlessly against its armour, but the distraction forces the beast back a step. It shrieks, so loud the birds explode from the treetops like scattering ash.
Gods, I wish I could flee like them.
