Ylva moved like a ghost through the crumbling ruins, her claws scraping against the broken stone as she led the group away from the castle. Behind her, Mae's hooves clicked nervously, her tail swishing with each step. The ant king lumbered in an unconscious daze, antennae twitching. Ylva's scouts flanked the edges, ears pricked for any sound from the Marrow.
"We need distance," Ylva hissed, her lupine ears swiveling. "The vines have opened up, but that doesn't mean we're safe. Regroup at the entrance. Then we plan."
Her mind raced through contingencies—how to breach the castle again, what weapons they could salvage, whether the ant king should be left behind in its current wounded state.
She had barely finished the thought when a sound stopped her cold.
Footsteps, it was steady and unhurried.
Coming from the castle's main gate.
Ylva spun, teeth bared, hand dropping to the hilt of her blade. The others froze.
Jason emerged from the shadows.
