So will you wait me out or will you drown me out?
Noah accepted the jerky in silence, tucking it between his teeth as he walked, gaze fixed ahead while the forest cinched tighter around them. The air here was different—still, but watchful. Like the Greatwood itself was listening in. He wondered if the Mathair was listening as the tiny hairs pricked on the back of his neck.
“He won’t last long if he’s waiting it out,” Noah said, low and even. “The trees don’t like outsiders.” He glanced to the side, to Callum, to see how the mercenary reacted to his words that were fact, laid bare and cold.
He looked to Callum, the calm in his expression hard-earned. “If we want him alive, we’ll need to be fast.” because if the Mathair was listening, maybe she was hungry too. Beneath the dense canopy, Noah moved in steady silence, footsteps muffled by moss and loam. Shafts of filtered light dappled their path as they scanned for signs—broken twigs, disturbed leaves, scent on the wind.
“He won’t last long if he’s waiting it out,” Noah said, low and even. “The trees don’t like outsiders.” He glanced to the side, to Callum, to see how the mercenary reacted to his words that were fact, laid bare and cold.
He looked to Callum, the calm in his expression hard-earned. “If we want him alive, we’ll need to be fast.” because if the Mathair was listening, maybe she was hungry too. Beneath the dense canopy, Noah moved in steady silence, footsteps muffled by moss and loam. Shafts of filtered light dappled their path as they scanned for signs—broken twigs, disturbed leaves, scent on the wind.
THE F O R S A K E N
