Stevee paused mid-stride, his heart skipping.
Had he just heard her voice?
Maggie?
His eyes widened in disbelief. He slowed, just for a moment, despite the sound of goblin feet thundering behind him. Leaves and branches cracked beneath heavy strides, snarls echoing like war drums. But still—he'd heard her. He was sure of it.
He glanced over his shoulder. Shadows flickered between the trees. The goblins were close, drawing nearer with each breath. Still, he looked. Desperately, side to side—searching.
Maybe it was a hallucination. Maybe his mind was fraying from the chase. But then—
There she was.
Just a few meters ahead, beside a towering tree, Maggie stood—waving at him. Her arm moved in slow, sweeping arcs, side to side, like a beacon of hope in the chaos. She wore a white gown, its halter neck tied around the nape like a blouse flowing down into a flared skirt. Though smudged with dirt, it swayed gently around her legs, soft and almost ghostlike in the forest light.
