Kael grunted as he shifted Aldric's unconscious form, adjusting his grip. "We need to move faster," he muttered, barely masking his frustration. "Whatever that thing was, it let us go. I don't want to know why."
Sienna didn't want to know either.
Her legs burned with each step, but she forced herself forward, half-dragging, half-carrying Aldric between them. The reality of the moment was setting in, he was alive, yes, but for how long?
His breaths were shallow, his skin alarmingly cold. The weight of responsibility settled onto her shoulders like a lead cloak.
She couldn't let him die.
"The old hunting lodge," she said, her voice hoarse. "It's east. About a mile."
Kael shot her a sharp glance. "You sure it's still standing?"
"No." She swallowed. "But it's the only option."
Kael didn't argue. He just tightened his grip and pushed forward.
The world around them was unnervingly quiet, the usual sounds of the forest absent. No rustling of leaves. No distant hoots of owls. It was as if the very land was holding its breath, waiting.
Waiting for what?
Sienna tried not to think about it.
By the time they stumbled upon the lodge, her body felt like it was made of stone—heavy, aching, barely holding together. The small wooden structure sat half-hidden in the trees, its roof sagging under years of neglect. The windows were clouded with dust, the door slightly off its hinges.
It wasn't much.
But it was shelter.
Kael wasted no time. He kicked the door open, sending a cloud of dust spiraling into the air.
The inside was exactly what she expected, dust-covered furniture, cobwebs draping the corners like forgotten decorations, and the sharp, musty scent of abandonment.
"Put him down here," Sienna said, already clearing debris from the floor.
Together, they eased Aldric onto the wooden planks. The moment his body hit the ground, he let out a pained groan, his face contorting even in unconsciousness.
Sienna pressed a hand to his forehead. Too cold. His pulse was weak.
Kael crouched beside them, shaking his head. "His arm's broken. And he's lost a lot of blood."
Sienna exhaled slowly, steadying herself. "We need to set it."
Kael's lips pressed into a thin line, but he didn't argue. He tore strips from his cloak, fashioning them into makeshift bandages. "This is going to be hell for him."
Aldric's eyes fluttered open just as Kael gripped his arm.
"Wait.." Sienna started, but it was too late.
Kael moved with brutal efficiency, twisting the bone back into place. A sickening pop echoed through the lodge, followed by a strangled, breathless cry.
Aldric's back arched. His fingers scrabbled weakly at the floor before his body gave up, slumping into unconsciousness once more.
Sienna let out a shaking breath, her hands trembling.
"He'll be okay," Kael muttered, securing the bandages around the wound. "He's a tough bastard."
Sienna wasn't so sure.
She reached out, brushing damp hair from Aldric's forehead. He looked so much younger like this. Vulnerable. It was unsettling. Aldric was supposed to be unshakable, the one who always had a plan, who never let anything rattle him.
Now, he was barely holding on.
She clenched her fists.
No. She wouldn't let this be the end for him.
Kael pushed himself to his feet. "I'll get firewood. We need to keep him warm."
Sienna nodded, but something in her gut twisted. "Be careful."
Kael paused, studying her for a long moment. Something flickered in his expression—concern? Uncertainty? She couldn't tell. Then, with a grunt, he turned and disappeared into the trees.
The silence in the cabin stretched, wrapping around Sienna like a noose.
She sank down beside Aldric, her body screaming for rest. But her mind was far from quiet.
Her fingers curled, her palms still tingling with the remnants of whatever had happened back in the stronghold. The power that had pulsed beneath her skin like a second heartbeat. The energy that had brought the hollows to their knees.
It had felt right in the moment, natural like it belonged to her.
But now?
Now, it felt like something foreign, something unknown and dangerous lurking beneath her skin.
And worst of all, something had recognized it.
"You are not meant to be."
The words crawled under her skin, digging in like hooks.
That thing, it had known her. Not just her name, not just her presence. Her.
A shiver ran through her, even as she sat near Aldric's barely breathing form.
She had spent her entire life trying to find her place in this world, trying to understand who she was, what she was meant to be.
But if that thing was right…
If she wasn't meant to be at all…
Then what was she?
A sudden noise outside snapped her from her thoughts. A crunch of leaves. A low rustling.
Sienna's heart lurched.
Kael?
No.
She knew the sound of his footsteps. This was something else.
Something watching.
The weight of unseen eyes pressed against her skin, like cold fingers trailing down her spine.
She didn't move. Didn't breathe.
The darkness beyond the broken door seemed thicker now, alive.
And then,
A whisper.
Low. Ancient.
Not in words. Not in sound.
But in feeling.
A brush against her mind, a shadow curling around the edges of her thoughts.
The same presence she had felt before.
Waiting.
Watching.
Sienna's fingers dug into the wooden floor as she forced herself to stay still.
Whatever it was…
It wasn't gone.
And it wasn't finished with her.