Chapter 25 The Last Flame

• They traveled without rest.
• The forest grew darker as they moved north, toward the scattered remains of what was once neutral territory between the mountain clans. Ivy could feel it—the bond in her chest flickering with warning, as if even it knew they were trespassing somewhere sacred... or cursed.
• Kael moved ahead of her, his back tense, scanning the trees with practiced silence. Ivy followed close, her senses straining for danger. The trees here felt older. Taller. Their branches formed a canopy that blocked out the sky, letting in only slivers of gray light. The deeper they went, the heavier the air became.