Chapter 44 It’s wide awake
Sebastian’s POV
We stopped at the mouth of the forest.
Not inside it. Not yet. The hair on the nape of my neck stood as I took in the sight before us.
The last sliver of open sky stood behind us.. Ahead, the Dark Forest waited in patient silence, the shadows layered so thick they felt like walls. Even the wind refused to cross the threshold. It curled around us instead, uneasy.
Sybil stepped forward.
Her fingers trembled, not with fear, but with the strain of holding too much knowledge at once. Storm-scented magic gathered around her again, cool and metallic, the way rain smells when it has already decided to fall.
“Before we enter,” she said quietly, “let me see if I can locate them from here. We are closer after all.”
The artifacts.
The cursed keys in this little game someone else thought they were clever enough to control. They clearly don’t know me well enough.
Sybil closed her eyes. The sigil inked on her collarbone glowed softly. I felt the magic expand, brushing against the world, working its way to find the lost.
The forest didn’t like it.
Branches shifted without moving. The shadows thickened. The ground settled as if something enormous had rolled over in its sleep.
A low pressure built in the air, pressing on my lungs. Luther swore under his breath. Edgar’s hand drifted to the hilt of his sword. Aven stepped closer, shoulders tight.
Then Sybil inhaled sharply.
“I found one.”
Her voice was thin. Paper-dry.
My jaw clenched. “Where?”
She lifted one shaking hand and pointed toward the trees. Not vaguely. Not approximately.
Directly.
Into the dark.
“Inside,” she whispered. “Deep. Past the bloody river.”
Her brows pinched together, and a flicker of unease crept into her eyes.
“We'd better get going. Remember, anything you see or feel most likely isn’t real. Don’t go running off chasing anything.”
The magic around her wavered.
“And that’s why I am doing this.” She waved her hand and spouted words I didn’t understand before feeling a light clink around my wrist.
I looked down to see an incredibly thin chain holding us all together.
“This is supposed to keep us together?” Aven questioned doubtfully. She pinched the thin chain between her fingers.
“I’m a powerful witch. Do you really believe that’s just a simple chain?” Sybil asked, annoyed.
Aven clicked her tongue and nodded.
“It’s incredibly strong.. just.. don’t let it break.” Sybil continued. Then she led the way.
“So, this right here, this is us.” Edgar pointed at the map in his hand. “If we just follow this footpath here, it will practically lead us right to it.”
“It isn’t moving, is it?” I asked.
Sybil shook her head.
“No. Whatever he chose for the artifact is sitting in one spot.”
“Any other artifacts you can locate?” Luther asked.
Sybil’s magic stretched again as we walked. The air crackled.
Then, as if the forest had grown tired of tolerating us, the pressure snapped. The wind died. The smell of rain vanished.
Sybil staggered.
Luther caught her elbow.
She blinked hard. “The rest are going to be a bit harder to find while we’re in the forest. They may not even be able to be found until we get this first one. The others may be sleeping. And that one, Your Majesty…”
Her gaze drifted back to the darkness.
“It’s wide awake.”
The forest rustled like a warning. Or a laugh that forgot to sound human.
Goddess, watch over us today.
The first ten minutes seemed simple enough. But the deeper we got, the more that thought vanished.
The air changed. It thickened. All sounds of nature dulled. The vibrant colors drained. Even the light seemed to think of somewhere else it needed to be. The path beneath our boots wasn’t really a path at all, just earth worn smooth by things that walked here before and were never spoken of again.
A branch creaked overhead with another sounding a loud groan of a reply. Not random. Not wind. A slow conversation in a language built from wood and old hunger.
This forest really is alive.. I can feel it.
“Stay close,” I said, quieter now. Not an order so much as a prayer I refused to name. “If something comes close, kill it. Don’t hesitate”
We moved.
Roots coiled beneath the soil like sleeping serpents. The sap in the trees glistened dark and sticky, catching what little light remained and swallowing it whole. The smell of iron lingered at the back of my tongue, stubborn and metallic.
The bond pulsed. Aching for me to find my mate and never let her out of my sight again. I wonder what she’s doing right now. I wonder if she’s hurt. I’ll kill everyone if even a single hair on her head is off.
Luther stopped short. “That wasn’t like that before.” He motioned towards this giant tree standing in front of us, breaking the path into two that go off in separate directions.
“No,” Aven muttered, voice hushed. “It wasn’t.”
Sybil exhaled slowly. “It’s adjusting to us. Trying to trick us and make us lose our way.”
“Let it try,” Edgar said, hand still wrapped around his sword hilt.
The forest listened.
Leaves whispered.
And then it began.
Whispers bled through the air, thin and distant. Not loud. Not clear. Just enough to catch the edge of thought. Sometimes laughing. Sometimes pleading. Sometimes saying names.
Mine among them.
I ignored it.
Mostly.
But then I heard a voice I hadn’t heard in years.
Barely more than breath. Soft. Almost tender.
“Sebastian.”
My heart lunged against my ribs.
The others looked at me.
I didn’t move. Didn’t answer. Didn’t even breathe.