The mountains loomed closer with every step, jagged peaks rising like teeth against the pale moonlight. The air grew thinner, colder, and the forest that had sheltered them began to thin into sharp ridges and winding trails.
Jane pulled her cloak tighter around her shoulders, her metal hand cold despite the gear's insulation. She glanced behind them again, for the fifth time in as many minutes.
Levi's voice cut through the silence. "You've looked back too often."
Jane swallowed, adjusting her glasses nervously. "Because it feels like something's back there. Watching."
Levi slowed her stride, her golden eyes narrowing as she scanned the treeline. For a moment, her pupils thinned to slits, glowing faintly red before fading again.
"You are not wrong," she said softly.
Mira, walking just behind, stiffened at the words. "What do you mean? You sense something?"
Levi's wings shifted uneasily, the black feathers rustling like whispers. "Not clearly. They are skilled at hiding. But shadows move when they should not, and the forest listens to more than just us."
Jane's throat tightened. She remembered the raven cry they'd heard two nights ago, sharp and echoing too close for comfort. At the time, she'd brushed it off. Now it gnawed at her.
"Shax?" Jane whispered.
Levi's jaw tightened at the name. "Perhaps. Or his hounds. Either way… danger follows."
They pressed on, more cautious now. Every broken twig snapped too loudly beneath their boots. Every gust of wind in the branches above carried the weight of unseen eyes.
Harrow, the soldier, moved closer to Jane, his hand resting on the hilt of his blade. "If they come, we'll stand. You've got me."
Jane managed a faint smile, though it didn't ease her fear.
But Levi reached out, resting a hand briefly on Jane's shoulder. Her touch was grounding, steady despite the unease rippling through her.
"If they come," Levi said, her voice was calm but edged with fire, "they will find the queen of demons does not run twice."
The others said nothing, but a chill lingered in the air as they continued on, every step shadowed by the weight of unseen pursuit.
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