Rowan’s POV:
The moment the Nightshade fell, the forest around us seemed to exhale a breath of death. Its body crumbled to ash, swirling into the air before disappearing entirely.
After defeating the witch, we had barely caught our breath when the trees themselves seemed to turn against us and the earth beneath our feet began to tremble. It seems as if the forest was coming alive with an unsettling energy.
I could feel the trees closing in, their branches reaching out like skeletal hands, the undergrowth thickening as if trying to trap us. Every rustle in the bushes, every creak of the wood, made the hair on the back of my neck stand on end.
“Something’s wrong,” Andrew muttered.
“What’s happening?” Gaius asked, his voice betraying his exhaustion. He looked up with his face pale and st
