The carriage rattled along the worn path through Ashenfen, the trees looming tall and dense on either side. The sun was still high in the sky, but the canopy overhead was thick enough to cast long shadows across the road, creating an eerie twilight effect that made the forest seem darker than it was. Luke glanced around, his eyes scanning the treeline, his senses heightened.
That feeling was back—the sensation of being watched.
It had been creeping up on him since they entered the forest, a subtle but persistent prickle at the back of his neck. He had felt it earlier when Ilyrana had alerted him to the presence of unseen eyes. And now, as they ventured deeper into Ashenfen, the sensation had returned, stronger and more unnerving than before.
