Chapter 25 Encounters In The Darkness

The atmosphere was charged with anxiety as Aeryn and her group perched at the clearing's border, the growls echoing from the darkness cutting through the stillness of the woods. The old tree in front of them throbbed with a sinister power, its shadowy markings shimmering lightly, seemingly drawing strength from the terror that enveloped the group. Aeryn felt her heart pounding, yet she maintained her concentration. They had traveled too much to go back now. "Remain vigilant," Aeryn murmured, her tone calm yet charged with immediacy. "We're ready to confront whatever has been following us." "No matter what it is, we must not undervalue it."