The shadows moved like liquid, slithering across the uneven ground. Every instinct in me screamed to run, but my legs felt rooted to the spot, heavy and unresponsive. My heart thumped so violently in my chest that I feared it might burst, each beat echoing painfully in my ears. Elias shifted closer, planting himself firmly between me and the threatening darkness. His jaw was tight, his eyes sharp and alert, but I knew, as he did, that he had no real defenses against whatever these creatures were. The air around us seemed to thrum with menace, a cold, vibrating pressure that made my skin crawl.
I summoned a fireball in my palm, feeling its searing heat pulse against my skin, and hurled it toward the shadows. It exploded in a sudden blaze of light and heat, sending tendrils of darkness reco
