The convoy is fragmented now—invisible, scattered, impossible to track.
But we’re still moving.
And we’re not stopping.
Chapter 32
Gray
We’re the second vehicle to arrive.
I step out of the truck, boots hitting gravel, and the first thing I notice is how quiet it is. No birds. No rustling. Just the low hum of idling engines and the sound of doors opening behind me.
The others are getting out too—voices low, cautious. Nobody crosses the road yet.
I scan the treeline, and something tugs at the back of my mind. Familiar, but I can’t place it yet.
Stone pillars rise out of the undergrowth ahead, half-buried in moss and vines. The boundary markers Thane mentioned. I walk closer, and the moment my hand touches the rough surface, recognition hits.
“We’ve been here before,” I say quietly.
Rhett stops beside me. “What?”
“This exact spot.” I look back toward the road, then at the forest. “This is where we parked the first time. When Bree found the well.”
Understanding ripples through the group. Jace’s eyes widen. “Oh shit. You’re right.”
Seth moves closer to the markers. “Same place?”
“Yeah.” I nod toward the trees. “The well’s about fifty yards in that direction.”
Jace laughs—sudden and bright. “Remember when we all ran back to the cars like idiots?”
Rhett grins despite himself. “You nearly took me out.”
“Because Gray cut in front of me without warning—”
“Because Theo was spiraling about foxes—”
“Therewasa fox,” Theo mutters.
Wes shakes his head, almost smiling. “And Bree just… walked into the forest like it was the most natural thing in the world.”
“While we panicked over leaving the engines running,” Jace finishes, still grinning.
The laughter spreads—quiet, warm, human. For a second, the tension breaks. We’re just a bunch of guys remembering the first time everything changed.
Then the moment fades.
Because this isn’t the same.
I turn back toward the markers, and the warmth drains out of me.
The Ether around them is brighter than it should be. Thicker. Vibrating against something I can’t see.
“You feel that?” Rhett asks, his grin gone.
“Yeah.” I step closer to the treeline. “Something’s off.”
