The fog parted.
And a silhouette appeared.
She materialized like a shadow stitching itself together—tall, slender, with eyes glowing a venomous violet. Her voice oozed like poisoned honey.
“Well, well…” she purred. “The little queen wandered too far from her nest.”
Heiko stepped in front of River instantly, power flaring.
“You picked the worst day to crawl out,” he growled. “This ends now.”
The witch laughed, a sound that made River’s skin crawl. “You think I came alone? You think I didn’t expect a trap?”
The fog twisted violently.
Shapes began emerging—multiple shapes.
Whispers slithered through the air, voices layered on top of each other. A prickle of dread crawled up River’s neck.
Heiko mind link, tense, “River… get ready.”
River’s fingers grazed the amulet. It pulsed.
The
