The walk stretched longer than Kaiden expected. The forest around them shifted from thick undergrowth to patches of cleared paths lined with tall roots and carved totems. The air carried a heavy mix of greenery, earth, and something else… something that clung to the skin.
He caught the scent when he came close to one of the native tribesmen who was escorting them.
He soon realized that it was a thick, oily musk that lingered around every native walking ahead of them. It wasn't the natural body odor of human beings, that much was for certain. His brow furrowed as he took a quieter breath, trying to place it. It wasn't blood or sweat. It had the burn of processed plant oil mixed with crushed herbs.
A strange kind of repellent.
Then Bastet's ears twitched as she, too, noticed. She turned her head, and her nostrils flared as her golden eyes tracked the group in front of them. "Do you smell it too, Master?"
