Chapter 6

The forest was unnaturally still.

A thick fog draped the trees like a burial shroud, curling low over the mossy ground and dimming the morning light into something ghostly. The chirp of birds, the rustle of creatures—gone. Only the crunch of boots over damp leaves and the occasional snap of a branch underfoot broke the silence.

Ava walked at the front of the group, her senses stretching outward, brushing the edges of the world. Beneath her boots, she could feel the ley lines—silent, sluggish pulses of energy that had once flowed clean and strong. Now they were tainted. She could taste the bitterness of it on her tongue, like ash.

They had been walking for hours. Ashton, quiet and sharp-eyed, kept pace beside her. Kaelin stalked a few paces behind, her expression unreadable, but her hand never strayed far from her dagger.

None of them spoke.

The tension was too thick, stretched taut by what they'd seen. The shadow wolf wasn't just a threat. It was a message.

And Ava couldn't ignore the way the earth responded to it.

"We're close," she said finally, breaking the silence. Her voice was low, reverent. "There's a convergence point up ahead. I can feel it."

Ashton nodded once. "Keep your guard up."

They moved deeper into the forest, the trees growing older, wider, gnarled by time and magic. Vines hung like veils, and the air grew colder, charged with a pulsing weight that pressed against their skin.

Then they saw it.

The clearing appeared as if the forest had been carved open. At its center stood an ancient monolith, tall as a two-story house, etched with swirling runes that glowed a dim blue. The ground around it was blackened, scorched by some unseen fire. The grass had died, and even the trees nearby were twisted, their leaves brittle and grey.

Ava stepped into the clearing first. She could feel the corruption thick in the air, seeping from the stone like a miasma. Her breath caught as she reached out, fingers trembling as they hovered over the runes.

They flickered beneath her touch, as if recognizing her.

"This is a ley nexus," she whispered. "The magic here is ancient—pure. Or it should be."

Kaelin circled to the other side of the monolith, her nose wrinkling. "This place feels cursed."

"It's not a curse," Ava replied. "It's a wound."

She placed her palm against the stone and closed her eyes. Magic stirred within her, slow and wary, as if sensing danger. She let her power flow outward, searching for the thread that had unraveled this place.

There. A tear in the current. A raw rip in the energy that fed the land. Something had pierced the ley lines and poisoned them from the inside.

Her eyes snapped open. "The corruption is feeding on the magic. Twisting it."

"Can you fix it?" Ashton asked, stepping closer.

Ava didn't answer immediately. She turned in a slow circle, studying the surrounding trees, the dead earth. "Maybe. But I need to anchor the ley lines and stabilize the flow. If I push too hard... I could break the nexus completely."

"And if you don't?" Kaelin asked.

"It'll keep spreading," Ava said flatly. "Until there's nothing left but rot."

Before anyone could speak, the shadows around them stirred.

A low growl reverberated through the clearing. Ava's head snapped toward the sound just as something massive broke from the treeline—tall, hunched, rippling with sinew and shadow. Its eyes glowed a sickly yellow, and its form wavered between physical and incorporeal.

A second shadow moved behind it. Then a third.

"Not one," Ashton growled, drawing his sword. "Three."

Kaelin swore under her breath, sliding her rune-blade free. "Fan out!"

Ava dropped into a crouch, her fingers finding the smooth surface of her spell stones. The runes flared at her call, light spilling across the ground as a shield rose between her and the nearest wolf.

They attacked.

The first shadow wolf lunged at Ashton, claws slashing. He moved like lightning, sidestepping, blade flashing in a clean arc. But the sword passed through the beast like mist. It snarled and spun, its tail a blur of darkness that knocked him sideways.

Kaelin engaged the second, her dagger slicing through its shoulder. The creature howled, real pain in its voice—but it didn't fall.

Ava braced as the third wolf charged at her. She raised her hand and unleashed a blast of raw energy. It struck the creature squarely in the chest, throwing it back. It hit the ground hard, rolling, then rose again, slower now, form flickering.

"These things don't die easily," Kaelin shouted.

"They're tethered!" Ava cried. "To the ley lines. To the corruption!"

Ashton got to his feet, wiping blood from his mouth. "Then we cut the tether."

He turned to Ava, his voice hard. "Can you do it?"

"I need time!"

He nodded. "You'll have it."

Ashton threw himself back into the fight, drawing the creatures away from her with a savage roar. Kaelin mirrored him, darting between the wolves, blades flashing, forcing them to divide their attention.

Ava knelt beside the monolith. Her magic surged in her veins, wild and difficult to control. She could feel the ley lines pulsing beneath her, erratic and screaming. She focused, reaching through the chaos to find the center—the core of the nexus.

She began to chant.

The runes on the monolith blazed to life, casting a brilliant blue light across the clearing. The wolves shrieked as the light touched them, their forms unraveling like smoke.

Ava's voice rose, the words foreign and ancient, older than the packs, older than the stones themselves. Her body trembled as magic poured out of her, the spell twisting and weaving around the monolith.

Then—she felt it.

A snap.

Like a bone breaking back into place.

The corruption recoiled.

A blinding pulse of light erupted from the monolith, spreading outward in a wave that struck the wolves mid-lunge. They dissolved instantly, leaving only a faint shimmer in the air and a lingering echo of pain.

Silence fell.

Ava collapsed to her knees, breath heaving, the world spinning.

Ashton caught her before she hit the ground.

"You did it," he said softly.

Ava nodded weakly. "One nexus. There are more."

Kaelin sheathed her dagger, surveying the now-glowing stone. "How many?"

Ava didn't look up. "Seven. Maybe more."

Ashton exchanged a look with Kaelin. "Then we've got work to do."

He turned to Ava, his voice gentler now. "But not until you rest."

Their eyes met. For a moment, the bond between them crackled—hot, undeniable. Ava felt it down to her bones, the pull that said you are mine—but she turned away.

"We don't have time," she whispered.

"We'll make time," Ashton said. "Because if you fall, this all ends."