The rogues howled behind her. They knew she had moved.
She didn’t dare shift—she was not able to.
Then she heard something that chilled her deeper than any claw or fang could.
Laughter.
Male. Familiar.
Thas.
“She runs well,” his voice echoed, too close.
“Like a little deer,” another male voice responded. One she didn’t recognize. “Should we catch her now?”
“No,” Thas replied, his tone dripping with mockery. “Let’s see how far she makes it. It’ll be more fun that way.”
River’s blood froze.
“He led us into this.”
“He planned the ambush,” Tempest seethed.
“We’re not prey,” River whispered. “Not tonight.”
She pushed harder, faster. The terrain blurred beneath her feet as she made a beeline for the sound of running water.
A few hundred meters later, she leapt into the shallow cre
