Aramith steadied himself as the echo of Lynnor's voice faded.
The forest stretched endlessly, leaving no room for escape.
He closed his eyes.
Darkness inked around the floor behind him and rose like smoke, then dark strings flowed freely from his hands into the ground, and for a moment, he felt his perception expanding through the thin threads of shadow that sprawled across the forest floor.
He caught glimpses: falling leaves, the distant rush of water, something heavy dragging its body across the soil. There was no heartbeat close by.
No Mozrael.
"She's not here," he muttered, half to himself, half to the darkness, which pulsed faintly in response.
Then a roar split the silence.
A beast burst through the undergrowth—a boar-like creature, except its skin shimmered and its eyes were hollowed into sockets of light.
