Chapter 12 The Forbidden Path

• The wind howled through the narrow pass as Kael and Ariella pressed forward, their every step muffled by the thick blanket of snow that stretched out before them. The darkness of the night seemed to close in around them, the towering stone walls of the mountain narrowing as they ventured deeper. The air was biting, the cold seeping into their bones despite the warmth of their cloaks. Yet it wasn’t the cold that made Ariella’s skin prickle. It was the palpable sense of dread that hung in the air, thick as fog.
• Every step they took felt like an intrusion into something ancient, something forbidden. Ariella could feel the mountain itself shifting, its pulse echoing in her chest as if it were alive and aware of their presence. She tried to push the growing unease from her mind, focusing instead on the journey ahead. There was no turning back now. They were too close.
• Kael was at the front, his posture rigid, his senses sharp. Every now and then, he would glance over his shoulder to make sure Ariella was keeping pace, but otherwise, he said little. The silence between them was charged, both of them knowing that they were about to confront something far beyond anything they had ever imagined.