The forest grew darker, the trees twisting unnaturally as if alive. Alysia couldn't shake the feeling that they were being watched.
"Why does it feel like something's following us?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
Aragos didn't answer, his attention fixed on the path ahead.
"Are you ignoring me, or are you scared?" she pressed, trying to mask her own fear.
"I don't get scared," he said curtly.
A sudden rustling behind them made Alysia spin around, her magic sparking instinctively in her palms. Nothing was there.
"Stop jumping at shadows," Aragos muttered.
But as they moved forward, the whispers began—soft, indistinct, and impossibly close.