"Rellios... taken... North." He coughed, a wet, gurgling sound, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. His breathing was labored, his body trembling with the effort to speak. "They... knew you'd come."
Kael stiffened, his fingers tightening around the hilt of his dagger. The weight of those words settled in his chest like lead.
They knew.
A sudden hush fell over the ruins of the watchtower, pressing down on them like an unseen force. The distant rustling of leaves ceased, the air growing unnaturally still. A prickling sensation crawled up Kael's spine, the kind that came right before an ambush. Instinct screamed at him—move.
Then, the air shifted.
The mist thickened, swirling unnaturally at the edges of his vision. Shadows stretched and twisted, shapes forming where there had been nothing but empty space before. Liora was already moving, his blade flashing as he spun, his sharp eyes scanning the darkness.
