The Northern Forest. Morning.
Lira led them into the trees at first light.
The forest was different here—older, darker, the branches twisted, the light dim. The air was cold, still, the kind of cold that seeped into your bones and stayed there. The birds were silent. The animals were gone. The only sound was the horses' hooves on the soft earth.
Mirena rode beside her, her staff in her hand, her eyes on the ground. She was tracking the residue—the magic left behind by the portal—the same residue she had felt in the clearing, in the hills, in the place where the creature had died. It was faint here, scattered, but it was there.
Gwen brought up the rear, her hand on her sword, her eyes on the trees. She had been quiet since they left, watching, learning. She was scared. She didn't hide it.
Lira glanced back at her. "You're doing fine."
Gwen met her eyes. "I haven't done anything."
"You're here. That's something."
Gwen was quiet for a moment. Then she nodded. "I'll try to do more."
---
They found the first sign an hour into the forest.
A tree, scorched from root to branch. Not burned—scorched, the bark blackened, the leaves gone, the wood beneath cracked and dry. The ground around it was bare, the grass dead, the earth hard.
Mirena dismounted, knelt beside it, touched the trunk. "The portal was here," she said. "Recently. Days, maybe. Not weeks."
Lira scanned the trees. "Where did it go?"
Mirena stood, pointed deeper into the forest. "That way."
---
The trees grew thicker as they rode.
The light dimmed, the shadows deepened, the air grew colder. The horses were nervous, their ears flat, their steps hesitant. They could smell it. They could feel it.
Lira raised her hand. The column stopped.
"We're close," she said.
Mirena slid from her horse, walked to a patch of scorched earth. She knelt, touched the ground. "The residue is stronger here. The portal lingered. Something came through."
Gwen's hand tightened on her sword. "Something like the creature?"
Mirena shook her head. "I don't know."
---
They found the clearing at midday.
It was large, circular, the trees pushed back as if by a great wind. The ground was blackened, scorched, the grass dead, the earth cracked. The air was thick, heavy, wrong.
Mirena walked to the center, her staff in her hand, the stone pulsing in her pocket. She closed her eyes, reached out with her magic.
"The portal was here," she said. "Not long ago. Hours, maybe. Not days."
Lira moved to stand beside her. "Is it still here?"
Mirena shook her head. "It moved. Again."
Gwen stayed at the edge of the clearing, her eyes on the trees. She was watching the shadows, the places where something could hide. She saw nothing. But she felt it. The weight of eyes on her back.
"Lira," she said quietly.
Lira turned.
"There's something out there."
---
Lira raised her bow.
She scanned the trees—the shadows, the branches, the places where something could hide. She saw nothing. But she felt it too. The weight of eyes. The prickle at the back of her neck.
"I see it," she lied. "Stay behind me."
Gwen drew her sword. Her hands were shaking, but her voice was steady. "I'm not hiding."
Lira almost smiled. Almost. "Then stay beside me."
They moved to the edge of the clearing, their weapons ready, their eyes scanning.
Nothing moved.
But the feeling didn't fade.
---
Mirena found the footprint at the edge of the clearing.
It was half-hidden in the mud, pressed into the soft earth beside a fallen log. She knelt, touched it, traced its edges with her fingers.
It was barefoot. Human-shaped. But the toes were too long, the arch too high, the heel too narrow. It was wrong in ways she couldn't name.
"Lira."
Lira moved to her side. Looked at the footprint. Her jaw tightened.
"What is it?"
Mirena shook her head. "I don't know. Not human. Not creature. Something in between."
Gwen moved to stand beside them. "Something that came through the portal?"
Mirena stood. "Maybe. Or something that was here before."
---
They searched the clearing for another hour.
They found more footprints—three sets, maybe four, scattered around the edges of the scorched earth. Some were barefoot, wrong. Others were booted, ordinary, human.
Someone had been here. Someone had been watching.
Lira studied the boot prints. "These are recent. Today. Maybe yesterday."
Mirena knelt beside them. "They came from the north. They left the same way."
Gwen looked at the trees, the shadows, the places where something could hide. "Are they still here?"
Lira shook her head. "The tracks are cold. They left before we arrived."
Gwen's shoulders sagged. "Then we're alone."
Lira met her eyes. "For now."
---
They made camp at the edge of the clearing.
The fire was small, the watches were set, the horses were tethered. Lira took first watch, her bow across her knees, her back to a tree. Mirena sat by the fire, the stone in her hand, her eyes on the darkness. Gwen lay on her blanket, staring at the stars.
"The portal moved again," Mirena said.
Lira didn't look at her. "Where?"
"I don't know. But the residue is fading. If we don't find it soon—"
"We'll find it." Lira's voice was firm. "We have to."
Mirena was quiet for a moment. "What do you think made those footprints? The barefoot ones?"
Lira shook her head. "I don't know. But I don't want to meet it."
Gwen spoke from her blanket. "What if it meets us?"
No one answered.
---
In the night, something moved at the edge of the camp.
Lira saw it—just a shape, just a shadow, gone before she could raise her bow. She sat perfectly still, her eyes on the darkness, her hand on her arrow.
It didn't come back.
But she felt it watching. Waiting.
She didn't sleep.