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Chapter 7 – The Fractured Chain
The forest never stopped whispering.
Even after the beast's body was dragged aside and the hunters had caught their breath, the silence that followed was heavier than the fight itself. The trees seemed to lean closer, their gnarled branches knitting together as though to listen in on the uneasy group trudging along the damp trail.
Sara shifted against her bindings. The ropes dug into her wrists, raw from hours of rubbing, but she hardly noticed. What gnawed at her wasn't the burn in her skin—it was the burn in her chest. That flicker of power she'd nearly unleashed… the one Kael had seen.
She risked a glance at him. He was walking a few paces ahead, spear resting across his shoulders, head angled just enough to pretend he wasn't aware of her stare. But Sara had sharp eyes. She caught the stiffness in his shoulders, the way his grip on the shaft tightened whenever someone's gaze lingered too long on her.
Protective? Or suspicious? She couldn't tell.
"Keep up," barked Bren, the broad-shouldered hunter who had nearly dropped his axe in the fight earlier. His tone was sharp, but Sara caught the quiver underneath. He was still rattled.
She smirked. "Relax. It's not like I'm going anywhere. Unless you think I can chew through rope faster than you swing that axe."
A couple of the younger hunters chuckled, but Bren's scowl deepened. "Watch your tongue, witch. You should be thanking us for not leaving you as bait."
Sara rolled her eyes. "Oh, I'm grateful. Truly. Nothing screams hospitality like tying your guest up and calling her names."
Before Bren could snap back, Kael spoke. "Enough." His voice wasn't loud, but it carried. The kind of tone that made heads turn. "Arguing won't keep us alive if another one of those things shows up."
The path narrowed as they entered a section of the forest where the trees grew thick and the roots rose like coiled snakes. Shadows swallowed the group whole. Even the torches sputtered against the damp air.
It was here the whispers started.
Not from the hunters. From the forest.
Sara's ears caught them first—low, curling sounds woven between the creak of branches and the drip of water. Words that weren't words, calling from nowhere and everywhere at once. Her stomach knotted. She'd heard these voices before.
The cursed woods.
Her pace faltered.
Kael noticed. "What is it?" he muttered under his breath, falling back beside her.
Sara forced a smile. "Oh, nothing. Just admiring how your lovely forest likes to hum lullabies of doom."
But her eyes betrayed her.
Kael frowned. He'd grown up in these woods, trained in them, bled in them. But the way Sara stiffened made him uneasy. She knew something. Something she wasn't saying.
And the forest was about to prove her right.
The whispering grew louder, weaving into a low drone that made the ground vibrate. The lead hunter raised his fist, halting the group.
Then the earth shifted.
From beneath the roots, black shapes slithered free—shadows given form, stretching tall with eyes that glowed like coals.
Specters.
The hunters tensed, drawing weapons. Fear clung to them thicker than sweat.
"Form a line!" Bren barked.
But Sara… Sara was shaking. Not from fear. From restraint. The power inside her surged at the sight of the specters, a wild hunger clawing at her veins. If she let it out, she could scatter them in seconds. If she let it out…
Her hands clenched.
Kael's eyes flicked to her, sharp as a blade. He saw it—the way the ropes strained, the way her pupils dilated.
He stepped closer, spear lowering into place. "Don't," he hissed. "Not here. Not now."
She glared at him. "If I don't, we're dead."
"Then trust me." His tone was steady, but his heart hammered. He had no guarantee his plan would work. But he couldn't let her reveal herself. Not yet.
The specters surged.
Kael moved first. His breathing shifted—measured, sharp, pulling the damp air into his lungs. Storm Breathing. His body hummed with controlled energy as he darted forward, spear blurring in arcs of light.
The first specter shrieked as the spear cleaved through its smoky form, dispersing it into a cloud of ash. The hunters, emboldened, charged behind him.
Steel met shadow. Cries filled the air.
Sara struggled against her ropes, every muscle screaming to join the fight. But Kael's words echoed in her head. Trust me.
She hated him for saying it. She hated herself more for listening.
Minutes dragged like hours, but slowly—painfully—the hunters drove the specters back. Kael fought at the front, movements precise and fierce, his presence anchoring the line. By the time the last specter dissolved into smoke, the hunters were panting, battered, but alive.
Silence returned.
Bren dropped his axe with a thud, glaring at Sara. "She knew." His voice was hoarse, edged with accusation. "She knew they were coming."
The others turned to her.
Sara froze, then shrugged with forced nonchalance. "What can I say? I've got a knack for creepy ambiance."
But her smirk didn't land this time. The suspicion in their eyes was heavier than the ropes on her wrists.
Kael stepped between them. "Enough. She's still bound. She couldn't have summoned them."
Bren's lip curled. "Maybe not with her hands. But she's hiding something. I saw the way she looked before they came."
A murmur rippled through the group.
Sara's chest tightened. For once, she had no clever retort.
The captain raised a hand, silencing them. His expression was unreadable. "We'll settle this when we reach the capital. Until then, keep moving."
Reluctantly, the hunters obeyed.
As they resumed their march, Kael walked beside Sara, close enough that his words reached only her. "You almost gave yourself away."
Sara shot him a sideways glance. "And you almost got yourself killed playing hero."
A pause. Then, softer: "Why stop me?"
Kael didn't answer right away. His eyes stayed forward, scanning the path, but his voice was low. "Because if they find out what you really are before we reach the capital… they won't hesitate to kill you. And I'm not ready to watch that happen."
Sara blinked. Her chest tightened, but not from fear this time.
She opened her mouth, ready to make a quip, but the words caught. Instead, she muttered, "You're infuriating."
Kael almost smiled. "So I've been told."
The forest stretched on, shadows swallowing them whole, but for the first time since her capture, Sara felt the ropes around her wrists weren't the only chains she carried.
And she wasn't sure she wanted Kael to break them.
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AN:
Sara's wit is sharp, but the tension in the hunter party is sharper. Kael's calm in the storm is starting to stand out—did you notice how his instincts kicked in again? He's no ordinary boy, and Sara's starting to realize it, even if she won't admit it out loud yet 👀.
Riddle time again:
I have cities, but no houses. I have mountains, but no trees. I have water, but no fish. What am I? 🗺️
(Drop your guesses in the comments—let's see who gets it first!)
✨ Teaser for Chapter 8:
The capital awaits, but a city's walls can't keep out whispers, nor can guards silence suspicion. Sara thought the forest was dangerous—but what waits inside those walls might be worse.
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