Heiko’s Deathbringer form moved with the grace of a shadowed predator, but even he began to slow as the air thickened with something unseen — a tangible energy, ancient and oppressive. River felt it too, pressing against her chest, making her breath come shorter.
“Stop,” she whispered, her hand pressing against Heiko’s neck.
He shifted back into his human form, his chest rising and falling as he scanned the terrain. Around them, the jagged walls of the mountain glowed faintly with runes, symbols so old that even Alia would have struggled to translate them.
“What is this?” Heiko muttered, his dark eyes narrowing. Despite being on their territory, he never came across to this part of the mountain. It was like it was hidden in plain sight all this time.
River stepped forward, her eyes tra
