"You feel that?"
Cerius tightened his grip on the wheel as they sped through the winding mountain road.
Archer, in the passenger seat, tensed. "Yeah." His hand hovered near his blade.
Something was watching them.
Behind them, in the second SUV, Haelyn sat between Rowena and Seraphis. She stared out the window, her face pale.
"It's close," she murmured.
Rowena turned sharply. "What is?"
Haelyn's fingers curled against her thigh. "The thing that doesn't want us reaching my mother's grave."
The car suddenly jerked.
"Hold on!" Cerius shouted.
The tires screeched, the SUV swerving as something slammed into them from the side. Metal groaned, glass shattered, and the vehicle spun wildly.
"Brace!" Archer barked.
The SUV collided against the rocky cliffside, tires skidding against the dirt before grinding to a halt.
Silence.
Dust settled.
Then….
"Everyone okay?" Artemis groaned, unbuckling his seatbelt.
