7 Chapter 7: The Angelic Forest
In the absence of Xia’s influence, the storm had returned to its original, cold spite. The bitter winds howled louder as if angry they had been quelled, sending shivers through the traveling band. Dorian plotted the way forward, carefully navigating the group through the snowy wilderness. Kara and Dain kept a close watch from the sides while Julius and Cain covered the group’s rear. The blinding tempest obstructed their visibility, and the intense cold sapped their energy like a frost laden leech. Kaya looked toward the tree line, drawn to a faint shadow as it passed overhead.
“What was that?” she questioned.
Dain saw movement in the distance. The flowing silhouette seemed to dissolve into the ground, disappearing from sight. “Stop. I saw something,” Da
