Dust and dirt shot up as boots pounded on the forest floor. The trees blurred past the knights as they ran through the Dead Forest.
"We're close! The flare was fired from the clearing just ahead!" a knight announced.
"Maintain formation. Be ready for anything," Igor instructed the knights before turning toward the woman running alongside him.
"You should stay back, Your Highness. We can deal with them," he said.
There was no response.
Igor sighed. He should've known better than to expect them to listen.
When he and the knights had met them near the entrance of the forest, they had stubbornly refused to turn away. No matter what he said, they wouldn't take no for an answer, forcing him to bring them along.
Stubbornness runs in the family, Igor thought, remembering Aaran. However, his thoughts were interrupted when he sensed a disgusting aura up ahead. The closer they got, the more unbearable it became.
"How did this much darkness go unnoticed for so long?" one knight mumbled.
