The chase had barely slowed, and the intensity from earlier came rushing back the moment another arrow sliced through the air. The thick canopy of Ashenfen loomed over them, casting dark shadows on the path ahead. The faint sunlight that broke through the trees was not enough to chase away the suffocating feeling of being hunted. Every breath Luke took was tinged with the sense that something—or someone—was closing in on them.
The forest seemed to come alive, not with the sounds of the wind or animals, but with the haunting echoes of footsteps just beyond the treeline. The carriage jolted violently as Rhys pushed the tigers harder, their claws tearing into the dirt in a desperate attempt to outrun whatever pursued them. Their growls filled the air, mixing with the frantic pounding of hooves and wheels.
