The forest swallowed them. They ran, heedless of direction, driven by the fading echoes of the Earthborn's fury and the chilling certainty that Valerius's forces were converging on the chaos. Kael set a punishing pace, his hand locked on Elara's wrist, pulling her through the dense undergrowth. Branches whipped at their faces, roots snagged their feet. The borrowed Deep Folk clothes, still damp from the river crossing, clung and chafed. Elara's lungs burned, her legs screamed, the residual exhaustion from the binding ritual merging with the fresh terror of the chase into a leaden fatigue.
Behind them, the roar of the river and the Earthborn's bellows dwindled, replaced by the frantic barking of hounds. Not the deep, resonant baying of the Wardens, but a higher-pitched, eager clamor. Valerius's bloodhounds.
"They've picked up our scent!" Kael gasped, veering sharply uphill, seeking harder ground, rockier terrain that might confuse the dogs. "Move!"
Elara stumbled, catching herself against a tree trunk, her breath coming in ragged sobs. The Stone's hum, a constant, low thrum beneath her feet since the river, pulsed with a new urgency. It wasn't just the Earthborn's distant rage anymore. It was the sharp, metallic tang of pursuit – booted feet pounding the earth, the vibration of horses moving through the trees downstream, the frantic energy of the hounds. The Stone sang of danger closing in from multiple directions.
"They're… flanking us," she panted, the sensation translating into certainty. "Men on horseback… coming from the south… along the riverbank. The hounds… straight behind."
Kael shot her a sharp glance, trusting her newfound perception implicitly after the river. "South is cut off. We go north. Higher ground." He changed direction again, pushing through a thicket of brambles, ignoring the thorns tearing at his clothes and skin.
The barking grew louder, more excited. The hounds had their scent firmly now. Elara could almost feel their hot breath on her neck. The forest seemed to close in, the trees pressing tighter, the shadows deeper despite the approaching dawn light filtering weakly through the canopy. Her legs felt like blocks of wood. The phantom ache where the Shadow connection had been throbbed dully, a constant reminder of the burden that, though silenced, still drew death to them.
Suddenly, Kael skidded to a halt, pulling Elara down behind a massive, moss-covered boulder. He pressed a finger to his lips, his eyes wide with alarm. Ahead, through a break in the trees, they saw torches. Not the flickering resin lights of the Deep Folk, but harsh, smoking pitch torches held aloft by men in dark leathers and chainmail. Valerius's soldiers. A dozen or more, moving in a loose skirmish line, methodically sweeping the forest floor. They were less than fifty yards away, blocking their path north.
"Trapped," Kael breathed, his knuckles white on his dagger hilt. The baying hounds were closing rapidly from behind. The soldiers were ahead. The river and the Earthborn lay to the south and east.
Elara pressed her back against the cold stone of the boulder, the Stone's hum vibrating through her spine. It sang of the soldiers' heavy tread, their murmured commands, the scrape of metal on leather. It sang of the hounds, frantic and closing. And beneath it all, a deeper, more focused vibration – a cold, disciplined energy moving with purpose through the trees slightly west of the soldiers. Valerius himself.
She grabbed Kael's arm. "Valerius… he's there," she whispered, pointing west. "Moving parallel to his men. He's… waiting."
Kael's eyes narrowed, calculating. "He's herding us. Towards his men, or towards a trap." He looked back the way they'd come. The hounds were terrifyingly close now. "We can't go back. Can't go forward. Can't go south to the river…" He scanned the immediate area desperately. His gaze fell on the boulder they hid behind. It wasn't just one boulder; it was part of a tumble of massive rocks, ancient scree from the canyon wall above, creating a jumbled maze of stone and shadow. "Through the rocks. Quick!"
They scrambled into the maze of boulders, squeezing through narrow gaps, scrambling over smaller stones, seeking cover deeper within the chaotic pile. The space between the massive rocks was cluttered with debris and choked with ferns, offering meagre hiding spots but breaking their line of sight. They crouched behind a leaning slab, listening as the baying hounds reached the edge of the boulder field.
The dogs milled about, confused. The scent trail vanished on the hard stone. They sniffed frantically at the base of the rocks, whining in frustration. The soldiers, drawn by the hounds' agitation, approached cautiously, their torches casting long, dancing shadows among the stones.
"Spread out!" a harsh voice commanded. "Check the gaps! They're in here somewhere!"
Boots crunched on loose scree. Torchlight flickered through the cracks in their hiding place. Elara held her breath, pressing herself flatter against the cold stone. Kael tensed beside her, dagger ready, his eyes fixed on the gap through which a soldier might appear.
A soldier peered into the narrow crevice just feet from them, his torch held high. The light illuminated the damp moss inches from Elara's face. She squeezed her eyes shut, praying the shadows were deep enough. The soldier grunted, apparently seeing nothing, and moved on. They heard him call out, "Nothing here, Captain!"
"Keep looking!" the captain's voice snapped. "Lord Valerius wants them found! Alive! Especially the girl!"
Elara's heart hammered against her ribs. Alive. Valerius wanted the artifact, and he believed she was the key to wielding it. The memory of the Shadow's hunger, channeled through her at the waterfall, sent a fresh wave of cold dread through her. She couldn't let him get his hands on her again. Couldn't let him use her to wake the bound shard.
The Stone hummed. It vibrated with the soldiers' movements, their frustration, their growing impatience. It vibrated with the hounds' confusion. And it vibrated with Valerius's cold, focused presence, moving steadily closer through the trees west of the boulder field. He was circling, waiting for the net to tighten.
Then, a new sensation cut through the Stone's song. A sharp, localized vibration, frantic and weak, coming from the base of a large boulder nearby. Elara focused on it. It wasn't human or hound. It felt… small. Terrified. Trapped.
A whimper, barely audible over the soldiers' noise, confirmed it.
Kael heard it too. He frowned, following Elara's gaze towards a cluster of smaller rocks piled against a massive slab. He gestured silently, and they crept closer, keeping low. Behind the rocks, partially hidden by ferns, was a hollow. And within it, trembling violently, was a young fox. Its leg was caught in a cruel, rusted iron trap, the kind poachers used. Its eyes were wide with pain and terror.
Sympathy warred with their own desperate situation. The fox's whimpers were soft, but in the tense silence of the hunt, they could attract attention. A soldier was methodically checking the gaps only yards away.
Kael met Elara's eyes. A silent understanding passed between them. Leaving the creature was cruel, and its cries could doom them all. He nodded grimly. Moving with painstaking slowness, Kael edged towards the trapped fox. Elara watched the gaps, her senses stretched taut, attuned to the Stone and the approaching soldiers.
Kael reached the fox. It tried to shrink away, baring tiny teeth in a silent snarl of fear. He murmured soothing nonsense, his hands moving swiftly but gently. He examined the trap's mechanism. It was old, the spring stiff. He braced his boot against the base, gripped the jaws with both hands, and strained. Muscles corded in his neck. The rusty metal groaned in protest. Elara held her breath, her eyes darting between Kael and the crevice where the soldier had been.
With a final, grating screech, the jaws sprang open. The fox yelped, scrambling free, vanishing into the ferns with a rustle, its injured leg dragging but carrying it away.
Kael let out a quiet breath, wiping sweat from his brow. He started to pull back towards Elara.
The scrape of a boot on stone. Too close.
A soldier rounded the large boulder they were crouched behind, his torch held high. His eyes widened as the light fell full upon Kael, still crouched near the sprung trap.
"Here!" the soldier bellowed, fumbling for the horn at his belt. "I found—"
Kael moved like lightning. He lunged, not with his dagger, but with a fist, catching the soldier square on the jaw. The man's shout died in a gurgle as he crumpled, the torch clattering to the ground, his horn tumbling from his grasp. Kael snatched the horn before it could sound.
But the damage was done. The shout, the clatter, the sudden flare and fall of the torch – it drew immediate attention.
"Over here!" voices shouted from different directions. Torchlight converged on their position. The frustrated hounds, catching the sudden activity, erupted in frenzied baying again.
"Run!" Kael grabbed Elara's hand, pulling her up. They abandoned stealth, scrambling over rocks, crashing through ferns, heading deeper into the maze, aiming for the higher ground at its northern edge. Shouts followed them, along with the crashing of armored men navigating the treacherous terrain. Arrows whistled past, thudding into tree trunks or clattering against stone.
They burst out of the northern edge of the boulder field onto a slightly more open slope covered in tall ferns and scattered pines. The canyon wall loomed above them. Dawn was finally breaking, painting the sky in streaks of grey and pink, but offering little cover. They were exposed.
"Up the slope!" Kael urged, pointing towards a denser patch of pines higher up. "To the trees!"
They sprinted uphill, legs burning. Elara risked a glance back. Soldiers were emerging from the boulder field, spreading out. Archers nocked arrows. And there, emerging from the tree line to the west, flanked by two tall figures in dark robes – sorcerers – was Valerius. His face was a mask of cold fury, his eyes fixed on Elara with terrifying intensity. He raised a hand, not to cast, but to point.
"Take the warrior! Bring the girl to me! Unharmed!" His voice, amplified by magic or sheer will, cut through the morning air like a whip.
Arrows flew. Kael shoved Elara sideways, taking them on his raised forearm. One shaft struck the leather vambrace he still wore, deflecting with a thud. Another grazed his thigh, drawing blood. He stumbled but didn't fall, pushing Elara ahead.
They reached the relative cover of the pines, but the soldiers were close behind, the hounds leading the charge, baying with renewed bloodlust. The slope steepened. Elara's breath came in ragged gasps, her vision blurring at the edges. Kael was limping now, the arrow graze bleeding freely.
The Stone hummed beneath her feet, a frantic drumbeat of pursuit. It sang of Valerius's cold power radiating like frost, of the sorcerers gathering energy, of the soldiers' relentless advance. It also sang of something else ahead. A break in the slope. A structure?
They crested a small rise. Below them, the slope dropped away sharply into a narrow gully. On the far side of the gully, perched precariously on a rocky outcrop, stood the ruins of what looked like an ancient watchtower or small outpost. Most of it had collapsed long ago, leaving only a section of crumbling stone wall and part of a tower base, choked with vines and saplings. It offered potential shelter, a defensible position, however ruinous.
"There!" Elara gasped, pointing.
Kael saw it. "Down! Across the gully! Go!"
They half-slid, half-ran down the steep slope into the gully, a dry streambed littered with rocks and fallen branches. The soldiers reached the crest behind them. Arrows zipped past, one embedding itself in a rotten log beside Elara's head. The hounds plunged down the slope after them, howling.
They scrambled up the far side of the gully, towards the ruins. The remaining wall was about ten feet high, crumbling but solid enough. A gaping hole where a door might have been offered entry. Kael reached it first, turning, dagger ready.
"Inside!" he yelled, shoving Elara through the opening. He turned to face the first hound that lunged up the slope. He met it with a brutal kick that sent it yelping back, then ducked inside as arrows clattered against the stone wall outside.
They were in a small, roofless space. Part of the tower base formed one corner, offering some cover. The floor was dirt and rubble. Vines hung from the broken walls. It was far from secure, but it was shelter from arrows and slowed the direct charge.
Soldiers reached the edge of the gully. They hesitated, seeing the defensive position. The hounds milled about at the base of the wall, snarling but unwilling to charge the narrow opening without their handlers.
Kael leaned against the inner wall, breathing hard, clutching his bleeding thigh. "Barricade… the entrance," he gasped, scanning the rubble. "Anything… slow them down."
Elara frantically started dragging chunks of fallen stone towards the doorway, piling them into a low, makeshift barrier. It wouldn't stop a determined assault, but it would funnel attackers into a choke point.
Outside, Valerius's voice rang out again, closer now. He stood at the edge of the gully, looking up at the ruins, his sorcerers flanking him. "Elara!" he called, his tone deceptively smooth. "This is tiresome. You cannot hide forever in this pile of rocks. Come out. Bring me the Key. Spare your friend further pain."
Elara ignored him, heaving another heavy stone onto the pile. Kael ripped a strip from his already torn tunic and tied it tightly around his bleeding thigh, his face pale but set in grim determination. He tested his weight on the leg, wincing.
"Can you fight?" Elara whispered, her voice trembling.
"I can stand," Kael growled, gripping his dagger. "I can make them pay."
The soldiers began to move. Archers took positions on the far slope, arrows trained on the ruined opening. A group of four heavily armored men started cautiously down into the gully, swords drawn, shields raised. The hounds followed them, eager but held back.
"Be ready," Kael murmured, positioning himself behind the low stone barricade, dagger held low. "They'll try to rush the entrance."
Elara crouched beside him, her hand finding a heavy, jagged piece of fallen masonry. It was a poor weapon, but better than nothing. The Stone hummed beneath her, a constant thrum of tension and violence. She felt Valerius's cold gaze like a physical weight. The soldiers reached the bottom of the gully and started climbing towards them. The first clash was seconds away. The ruins offered only a brief, desperate respite before the hunter closed his jaws.