After escaping the clearing, Liam, Asher, and Celia did not stop again.
They made a fast break back toward Veyrhold, not with the reckless speed they had used during the task's earlier stretches, but with the kind of pace that kept distance shrinking without dulling their senses. The forest remained dangerous, and after what had revealed itself in the clearing, none of them trusted quiet ground, open paths, or trees that stood too still. They avoided anything unnecessary. A low-moving threat near a streambed was left behind before it decided whether to follow.
A cluster of smaller Realm-Touched scavengers scattered when Asher flared blue fire along the path without slowing. Raven carried Celia above the worst of the terrain, then dropped lower whenever the canopy thickened, while Liam and Asher kept to routes that gave them enough room to react if the unknown pack chose to resume pursuit.
It did not.
That was not comforting.
