The venom running through those vines was deadly, especially to humans. That much was clear now. It expined why Oriana colpsed so suddenly, and why Lily hadn’t stirred at all.

  But Tave? He could still stand. Still think. Maybe because… he wasn’t entirely human anymore. Not since the Bloodline Override. Still, even he could feel the weight pressing into his skull, the dizziness building with every breath.

  Orion, on the other hand, was still holding his ground, slicing through the vines with relentless fury. Thanks to his self-healing abilities, no doubt. His body could keep up with the venom… for now.

  But they couldn’t stay here.

  Tave made a decision.

  He moved fast, hauling Lily up first and slinging her carefully over his right shoulder, adjusting her weight. Then Oriana. He lifted her and braced her against his left, her limp form heavier than she looked. He could barely bance himself, but he didn’t stop.

  That’s when the roar came.

  “What are you doing to Oriana?! Put her down!” Orion barked, rage fring in his voice as he kept hacking through the encroaching vines with his bzing sword.

  “Lord Orion! Those vines. They’re lethal! We can’t kill them unless we find the source!” Tave shouted back, breath sharp.

  “I don’t need your useless knowledge!”

  “We need to leave. If we stay, Lily and Lady Oriana might not survive.”

  “You don’t order me around!” Orion snarled. “Put Oriana down or I’ll kill you too!”

  Tave grit his teeth, already stepping back as Orion’s bde cut wildly through the air. Sparks flew, and the heat singed dangerously close.

  He didn’t answer.

  He just kept moving, sidestepping each swing, barely avoiding the reach of that bzing edge.

  “Put her down! I’ll kill you. Don’t test me!” Orion shouted again.

  Damn it. Tave hated this.

  If Orion threatened him, he’d do it. Maybe not outright kill him. But he’d let Tave bleed out, leave him to be torn apart by monsters without a second thought. That’s the kind of person Orion was.

  But Tave couldn’t let that happen.

  “We need to go! Venomroot Constricta! It can unch thorny vines from a distance, and they’ll keep coming. Fire only makes it worse. It explodes and spreads venom into the air. Getting pierced by the thorns? Even worse.” He kept talking, trying to drive the words through Orion’s thick skull.

  “Put her down! Let me carry her!”

  Tave narrowed his eyes. “Seriously? You think carrying Oriana while your healing ability’s active is a good idea? You’ll drain her even faster. That venom already weakened her. Your core will pull energy from hers like a leech.”

  How the fuck does this guy not know that?!

  Then, something changed.

  Orion froze. His gaze snapped to Tave, sharp, dangerous. That one line. The healing core drain. That wasn’t something just anyone should know.

  Tave had said too much.

  And Orion knew it.

  “Where the fuck are we going?” Orion growled.

  Wait, was that... cooperation?

  Tave didn’t hesitate.

  “Keep attacking the vines. Clear me a path. Any direction I run, make sure it’s open!”

  Orion didn’t argue. He turned, sword fring to life again, and began cleaving his way forward, clearing a narrow, fiery corridor.

  Tave adjusted his grip on both Oriana and Lily.

  Then he ran.

  Damn it. Tave could feel the weight of it now. That slip of the tongue, the oversharing. He’d said too much.

  At this point, he couldn’t even separate what was common knowledge from what was supposed to stay buried. Too much lore. Too many tangled plotlines. How could he possibly keep it all straight?

  Like hell he was that kind of nerd. He didn’t memorize every tiny detail. That’s what his notes were for. That’s what the fan-made wikis were for.

  Maybe... from now on, he really needed to shut up. Unless he was absolutely sure of what he was about to say.

  Still carrying both Oriana and Lily, Tave followed the mental map Fang had created earlier during his patrol. He used it to guide his steps, zigzagging through the forest, but the deeper they went, the more thorn vines began to appear. Too many.

  They weren’t dealing with a single Venomroot Constricta. This was a nest. A cluster. Maybe an entire brood.

  Hell, Tave cursed inwardly. These things were hellish enough on their own. But at night? With low visibility? This was actual hell.

  The worst part? Fire was the st element you wanted to use against them. Fire caused the venom sacs to rupture, releasing toxic mist into the air. But there was no other option. Only Orion could cut a path for them, and his sword burned like a torch in the dark.

  Meanwhile, Oriana and Lily remained unconscious, dead weight in his arms, completely defenseless.

  Tave pushed through the dark, the only light around him coming from the bzing arcs of Orion’s sword. Each swing scorched a path, slicing through vines before they could sh or coil.

  At the same time, Fang had rejoined them. His shadow glided through the trees, guiding Tave around the worst spots, choosing the safest path forward in real-time.

  But the hissing, that sound, the creeping slide of thorn vines across stone and bark, it was closing in. From every direction.

  If not for Orion’s relentless strikes, fast, clean, brutal. They would have already colpsed, unconscious from the venom. And by morning?

  They’d be nothing but corpses. Feeding ground for whatever else prowled this nightmare of a Rift.

  “How long is this fucking pnt going to keep coming?!” Orion barked, rage fring in his voice.

  Tave clenched his jaw. He hadn’t expected to be this close to the nest of these monsters. They were practically invisible during the day, hiding deep underground, only rising when the night cloaked the forest and the time to strike had come.

  So no. He hadn’t pnned for this. He knew a lot, but not even knowledge could predict everything.

  “We need to get as far away as possible. Out of their territory!” Tave snapped.

  “Hell! I’ll just kill the vines and find where they’re coming from!”

  “No, you can’t! There are too many! We can only run!”

  “I don’t run from problems, you coward!”

  “We’re running to save your sister! And mine!” Tave fired back, his voice cutting through the chaos.

  Orion didn’t respond, just kept swinging his bde, cleaving through the vines with reckless precision.

  Tave kept moving, dodging each fre of fire and each sh of thorns. The vines were relentless, spraying venom-ced mist with every strike.

  They ran as fast as they could, ducking, dodging, doing everything possible to avoid being caught by the creeping barbs. But it was brutally difficult. Especially for Orion, whose vision was blurred by the thick haze and venom clouding the air.

  Every step forward was a fight to survive.

  Until, they saw it.

  A faint light ahead. A break in the trees. An open clearing.

  It wasn’t salvation, but it was a chance. A wide space meant fewer pces for the vines to strike from. Less cover, more room to move. It gave them an advantage, unlike the suffocating, narrow forest path they'd just escaped from.

  “Orion!” Tave shouted, signaling toward the opening.

  They ran. Full speed, lungs burning, legs screaming, and as they burst from the underbrush into the clearing, Tave lost his bance. He stumbled, arms still wrapped around both Oriana and Lily. He twisted mid-fall, managing to cushion their heads against his shoulders, letting himself take the brunt of the nding.

  They hit the ground hard.

  Orion, still upright, stood at the edge of the clearing. His sword roared as he sshed toward the st of the pursuing vines. But the creatures… didn’t follow.

  They stopped.

  Like something had shifted.

  And then, slowly, they began to retreat. Sliding back into the trees, into the mist and darkness. Vanishing the same way they’d appeared.

  Orion remained in pce, sword raised, waiting. Tense. Watching. Expecting a second wave.

  But none came.

  Was it over?

  Tave y there, breathing hard, dirt clinging to his skin. He looked to his right. Lily was still unconscious beside him. Oriana too. Neither of them had stirred.

  And then, Fang emerged.

  The wolf leapt out from the same path they had come, nding cleanly in the clearing. Tave, still catching his breath, felt a flicker of relief at the sight of his companion.

  But that relief vanished instantly.

  Fang didn’t approach.

  He crouched low, his body tense, lips peeled back in a low, guttural growl.

  “Fang? What is it?” Tave asked, forcing himself upright.

  Then he heard it.

  A thunderous impact, distant but powerful. Echoing from behind them.

  Orion turned as well, his eyes narrowing, facing the same direction as Fang.

  And then it came again. Another massive thud, the sound of something heavy crashing against the earth.

  Tave’s heart dropped.

  Hell. Another monster?