Kaelreth's decision came without hesitation.
"We leave now," he said, already dousing the fire with a sweep of his hand. The flames hissed into smoke, vanishing as though they'd never been.
Seraphira pushed herself upright, still shaking the cold of the dream from her bones. "It's the middle of the night. Where are we going?"
"Somewhere they cannot follow." His tone left no space for argument, but the edge of urgency in his voice sent a prickling unease down her spine.
He led her to the far wall of the gorge, where the rock jutted out in strange, unnatural angles. At first, she saw only shadow pooling between the stones, thick and impenetrable. But as Kaelreth stepped forward, the darkness shifted not away, but deeper, stretching into a void that had no end.
"This is not a road you take lightly," he said, glancing back at her. "It is a place between places a fold in the world's skin. We call it the Shadow Veil."
A cool wind, smelling faintly of ash and something older, brushed her cheek. "What's inside it?"
He held her gaze, and the firelight in his eyes dimmed to something far more dangerous. "Things that walk without form. Whispers that change your thoughts. If you stray from me for even a breath… you will not return."
Her heart pounded, but she nodded. "Then I'll keep close."
Without another word, Kaelreth reached out. His fingers brushed hers, a brief contact, enough to send a strange warmth through her even in the biting cold and then he stepped into the dark, drawing her with him.
The world shifted. The stone beneath her boots softened to something like mist, though it held her weight. The air was still, thick, and heavy with silence a silence that seemed to listen.
Shapes moved in the edges of her vision. Long, thin, stretched too tall to be human, gliding soundlessly. She refused to look directly at them.
Kaelreth walked ahead, his presence a steady anchor. A faint black fire coiled around his hands, lighting their path just enough to see the suggestion of ground.
"Don't answer them if they speak," he murmured.
She swallowed. "Speak? Who?"
As if in answer, a voice to her left soft, melodic, and so familiar it stole her breath, whispered, "Daughter…"
Her steps faltered, eyes snapping toward the sound.
Kaelreth's hand closed around her wrist in an iron grip. "Eyes forward," he said, low and sharp. "Or they will have you."
They walked on, the darkness thickening around them. And somewhere behind, the voice called again, this time in a tone that was almost smiling.