The forest seemed to breathe, every shift of wind through its branches laden with menace. Cassie moved at the rear of the group, her eyes scanning the treetops and undergrowth, senses attuned to every rustle and snap. The morning mist clung stubbornly to the ground, curling around their boots and softening their footfalls, but the silence was unnatural.

  It wasn’t the absence of sound that unnerved her, but the deliberate nature of it. Birds didn’t simply stop calling, nor did the forest lose its constant low murmur without reason. Something was nearby. Watching. Waiting.

  Theodoric called a halt with a raised hand. The group froze, their breaths quieted as they looked to him.

  “Forward scouts, report,” he said, his tone calm but firm.

  Callen emerged from the trees ahead, his face pale and lined with tension. “We found something, Your Highness. You should see it.”

  Cassie followed Theodoric as he pushed through the thick brush. The rest of the group trailed cautiously, their movements punctuated by the clink of weapons and the occasional sharp intake of breath. The trees opened into a small clearing, and Cassie’s stomach turned at the sight.

  An abandoned camp sprawled before them. Half-collapsed tents and scattered supplies painted a grim picture of chaos. A cooking pot, now overturned, lay in the ashes of a long-dead fire. Bedrolls were slashed and stained with dark smears that trailed toward the forest. Claw marks gouged the dirt in wide arcs, evidence of something massive and violent.

  “Recent?” Theodoric asked.

  Callen nodded grimly. “Within the last day. No bodies, though.”

  “Not yet,” Cassie muttered, crouching to inspect the nearest claw marks. Her fingers brushed the edges of the gouges, the earth still soft and disturbed. “Whatever did this wasn’t hunting. It was tearing through.”

  Theodoric surveyed the wreckage, his expression unreadable. His eyes lingered on the slashed bedrolls, the faint outline of a child’s shoe among the scattered debris.

  “We move,” he said finally, his voice clipped. “No delays.”

  The group filed out of the clearing with renewed caution, their unease palpable. Cassie took the rear again, her hand never straying far from her dagger as she glanced back one last time. The camp’s emptiness weighed on her—a warning unspoken but understood.

  Hours passed in tense silence, broken only by the muffled sound of their progress. Cedric, as always, was the first to voice his impatience.

  “This is ridiculous,” he hissed, his tone cutting through the quiet. “We’re stumbling around in circles, waiting for whatever’s out there to pick us off one by one.”

  Cassie shot him a glare but said nothing, focusing instead on the shadows moving just beyond the edge of her vision.

  The first figure appeared as a flicker of motion between the trees. Cassie stopped abruptly, her body tensing as her eyes tracked it. Another figure emerged moments later, its dark cloak blending into the undergrowth.

  This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  “Theodoric,” she called quietly, moving to his side.

  He followed her gaze, his eyes narrowing. The figures weren’t close enough to pose an immediate threat, but their presence was deliberate.

  “Dietrich’s men,” she murmured.

  “They’re probing us,” he replied, his tone grim.

  Cedric, catching sight of the movement, strode toward them with an indignant sneer. “Why are we skulking like cowards?” he demanded, loud enough to make Cassie wince. “If they’re there, we should strike now!”

  “And alert every beast and scout within miles?” Cassie shot back, her voice icy. “Brilliant plan.”

  Cedric’s jaw tightened, his hand twitching toward the hilt of his sword. “We’re sitting ducks if we do nothing.”

  “We’re already being funneled,” Theodoric said, his voice cutting through the tension. “Confronting them now will only hasten their trap.”

  Cedric opened his mouth to argue, but a sharp look from Hildiger silenced him. The captain stepped forward, his massive frame casting a long shadow.

  “Enough,” Hildiger said, his tone low but forceful. “We follow orders.”

  Reluctantly, Cedric backed down, though his glare lingered on Cassie longer than she liked.

  The group continued on, their pace quicker now as Theodoric adjusted their route to avoid the scouts. Cassie’s unease only deepened; the figures weren’t pursuing them, but their movements felt purposeful, as though they were guiding the group toward something unseen.

  A howl shattered the silence.

  It wasn’t an ordinary sound. It was long and low, reverberating through the trees with a guttural resonance that made the air feel heavier. The group froze, their eyes darting toward the direction of the sound.

  “Move!” Theodoric commanded, his voice sharp.

  Cassie dropped back, her hands moving with practiced speed as she set a tripwire between two trees. Her fingers were steady despite the pounding in her chest.

  “Traps,” she said tersely to Hildiger. “Hold them back as long as possible.”

  The captain nodded, gesturing for the guards to follow her lead. Cassie worked quickly, her movements efficient as she rigged another line of crude spikes between the trees.

  Another howl rang out, closer this time.

  Cassie’s stomach sank as the realization struck. The howls weren’t random—they were signals.

  “They’re organizing,” she said aloud, the words bitter in her throat.

  Theodoric glanced back at her, his expression grim. “How much time do we have?”

  “Not enough,” she replied.

  The first beast emerged from the treeline moments later, its massive body low to the ground as it stalked toward them. Its glowing yellow eyes flickered with intelligence, its claws carving deep gouges into the dirt with every step.

  Cassie’s traps held for only a moment. The creature triggered the tripwire, sending the spikes hurtling forward, but it dodged with an unnatural speed, the makeshift defenses barely grazing its flank.

  “Hold the line!” Theodoric shouted, his sword flashing as he moved to intercept.

  Cassie darted to the side, her dagger slicing into the creature’s exposed leg as it lunged for the rear guard. Its roar was deafening, its massive claws tearing through the air inches from her face.

  Another beast joined the fray, then another, their movements coordinated as they pressed the group toward a narrow bottleneck in the terrain.

  Cassie fought with precision, her strikes aimed at the beasts’ joints and softer underbellies. Her breath came in sharp bursts, her focus narrowing to the immediate threat as the chaos unfolded around her.

  The howls continued, echoing through the forest like a sinister cadence.

  The group fought on, their movements growing more desperate as the beasts pressed closer. Cassie’s traps had slowed them, but not enough.

  Through the chaos, her gaze flicked toward the treeline. A shadowy figure stood there, motionless, their dark cloak blending into the night.

  Dietrich’s mark gleamed faintly on their shoulder.

  Cassie’s chest tightened as the figure turned and disappeared, their purpose fulfilled.

  “Fall back!” Theodoric commanded, his voice cutting through the din.

  The group began their retreat, their steps heavy and chaotic as they pulled away from the fight. Cassie stayed near the rear, her dagger slick with blood as she watched the beasts regroup.