Without a clear marker, they could open a portal and return anywhere in this place. They could search land they’d already explored or start somewhere new and have no idea they were doing such a thing, which would be a colossal waste of time.
They could leave a portal open, which could prove extremely dangerous for anyone who happened upon it. Or, worse, they could let something free into the realms that wasneversupposed to leave this one.
It was a problem they’d have to figure out when the time came. For now, she had to remain focused on getting through this coffin of green.
A rustle to her left had her turning her head in that direction. Tensing, her fingers tightened on her sword as she braced for an attack.
CHAPTERTHREE
The leavesbeside her rustled and swayed before parting. A head popped through them.
Kaylia froze, uncertain of what to do about the adorable creature. Her sword remained raised as she stared into a pair of big, brown eyes fringed with thick black lashes. A long, furry gray snout protruded beneath those deerlike, soulful eyes.
The creature blinked at her before stretching its head closer. Kaylia braced herself to slice through the creature’s slender neck.
It may look all cute and cuddly, and shehatedthe idea of killing any living thing, but if this animal was like everything else in this realm, it was about to take a bite out of her arm or spit poison in her face. Instead of trying to eat her, the creature sniffed and pulled its mouth into something resembling a smile before vanishing into the jungle.
Despite not having been eaten, Kaylia didn’t relax. For all she knew, it had decided she smelled delicious and left to gather a horde of big-eyed creatures, all eager to devour her.
She wasn’t in the mood to be someone’s lunch today, and she doubted it would be any cooler for her in the bowels of some fluffy beast. She waited a few more seconds, but when a group of those animals didn’t return to pounce on her, she started carving through the jungle again.
After another hundred feet, she stopped when she spotted another ouroboros carved into the thick brown trunk of a towering tree. Her head tilted to the side as she examined it.
The symbol was almost identical to the last one, but there were small differences. The circle wasn’t as perfect, and the snake wasn’t as detailed. Different hands had carved them.
She didn’t understandwhysomeone bothered to carve the circle of a snake eating its tail into the various trees and rocks they’d found since arriving here.
Running her fingers along the symbol, she felt no power from it, but that didn’t mean anything. There could be an old, faded magic in it or one she couldn’t penetrate. As a witch, she was very attuned to the world and anything enchanted, but there were powers even she couldn’t penetrate or detect.
However, she didn’t think this symbol was magical. It felt more like someone or something marking its territory.
And she didn’t want to know what that something or someone was. She hoped never to encounter them as she had no idea what would happen if someone discovered them where they shouldn’t be.
With a sigh, she lowered her hand and started through the dense foliage again. Trees brushed her face, and the vines clung to her arms as they tried to hold her back, capture her, or offer her up as some sacrifice to all the deadly things surrounding her.
Her skin itched from the pollen coating the leaves and transferring to her. She slapped away more bugs before scratching at one of the many bites on her arm. Between the bugs, the heat, and the pollen, she felt half ready to crawl out of her skin.
While she worked tirelessly to carve her way through the jungle, she pondered everything she knew about the ouroboros. Many believed it symbolized rebirth, immortality, protection, self-reliance, unity, and nature’s cycles. They saw it as a good thing.
Yet she’d heard others say it was a symbol of doom, a representation of those condemned to repeat the same mistakes over and over again, going in circles, chasing one’s tail. And some saw it as a sign of evil.
She’d never given it much consideration before; she’d never had a reason to… until now. In this place, she could only see it as a symbol of doom, and she truly hoped they weren’t going in circles in this forsaken land.
A shout up ahead jerked her from her reverie as another shout followed it. They didn’t sound hurt or scared, but something about the tone spurred her into motion.
Kaylia forgot about the symbol as she hurried to catch up with the others.
CHAPTERFOUR
Though Brokk was onlya few feet before her, the jungle had already moved in again to cover his trail. Some dismantled branches guided her onward as she carved her way toward the voices ahead.
Finally, after what felt like hours but was probably only a minute or two, the cloying foliage gave way to a small opening. She was about to step from the jungle when something buzzed in her ear before darting down to bite her neck.
Kaylia slapped the offending creature and pulled her hand away to discover blood and a flattened insect almost the size of her palm. Thankfully, she’d brought an ointment that cleared up the countless bug bites she’d received, but she couldn’t put it on until they stopped for the night. Until then, she’d remain a bitten, itchy mess.
Wiping her palm on her pants, she stepped into the small clearing and took in her surroundings. Brokk stood to her left with his sword at his side and his aqua-blue eyes fixed on the trees.
The sweat dampening his hair had turned its dark blond shade almost brunet as it stood up in disheveled angles around his wide cheekbones. Light brown stubble lined his square jaw, giving him a more menacing air than she’d grown accustomed to before arriving here.
