The canopy of the ancient forest hung low over our heads, trapping the cool morning air against the mossy floor.
We walked through the array of gray pine trunks, the only sound being the hollow crunch of decaying leaves beneath our steps.
Every few paces, Kaelan would softly hum a low, fragmented tune under his breath. The notes were discordant, vibrating with a subtle, restless magic that made the hairs on my arms stand on end.
And then his wizened eyes would narrow, his head tilting upward as he inhaled a deep, sharp breath of air, as if he were actively tasting the wind for any traces of approaching evil.
He was a man constantly reading invisible words written across the sky, and his erratic movements did nothing to soothe my fraying nerves.
Beside me, Darius walked with a rigid
