I leaned closer, my voice barely a whisper. “Ari?—”
“Silence.” The word cracked like a whip. His eyes never left the treeline, and for the first time since I’d met him, I saw something that chilled me to the bone.
Fear.
The air shifted around us. Earlier, it had seemed almost effervescent, like breathing champagne. But now it thickened and took on a darker scent—rich and intoxicating like aged wine, but with an underlying metallic tang that made my stomach clench.
Strange bird calls echoed from the depths of the forest—not quite songs, more like crystalline laughter that sent shivers racing down my spine. Then the laughter stopped. Abruptly. Completely.
A thunderous rush of wings erupted overhead as dozens of birds burst from the purple canopy in a panicked exodus.Their feathers caught the double sunlight like scattered jewels—emerald, sapphire, gold—as they fled whatever approached through the crimson pines. The musical rustling of leaves turned harsh, branches snapping and cracking under heavy footsteps.
Then the forest exploded.
Warriors burst from between the white-barked trees like avenging angels; their boots pounding against the forest floor in perfect synchronization. They moved with inhuman grace, armed with gleaming swords that sang through the air and armor that seemed to be crafted from liquid silver. Their hair flowed behind them—long and pale as moonlight—so white it was almost luminous, reminding me instantly of Keir Rankin.
The lead warrior’s blade whistled as he brought it up, the point hovering inches from my throat. “Halt! Who goes there?”
I went absolutely still, not daring to breathe. The razor-sharp edge caught the light just inches from my skin, and I could feel the cold radiating from the metal. One wrong move and?—
