Chapter 44 Bonds Forged In Fire

The air had become thick and heavy with the tension that pervaded it; Alex, Mara, and Kael slogged through the heavy forest. Heavier than usual, every step seemed, from the weight of recent battle that lingers on them. Silence in between was broken merely by a snapped twig or an owl at a distance call. Alex kept his hold stiff on the blade of hellfire, and a dim glow flickeringly created an eerie beam on the tree around. Mara walked by his side, her crossbow slung over her shoulder and her fingers trailing along his arm now and then to remind herself he was there. Kael walked first, his keen eyes sweeping over the blackness, alert to any threat of danger.