Three pairs of red eyes glinted coldly between the trees fifty meters ahead of me. I couldn't tell how many soldiers were escorting those magic-tracking hounds.
Fighting in the open without knowing the enemy's numbers or abilities would be foolish. My primary task wasn't to win a fight here, but to make sure the child behind me stayed alive.
I slowly backed away a few steps. My iron boots touched the thick moss without making the slightest sound.
I returned to the cover of a large oak tree, where Tywin was sleeping. I gently tapped his shoulder.
Within seconds, the boy's blue eyes flew open. He wasn't startled, nor did he make a sound. He immediately looked at me, waiting for instructions.
"The enemy is blocking the way ahead," I whispered right into his ear. "We'll take a detour."
Tywin nodded in understanding.
I knelt, scooped up the wet black mud between the tree's roots, then crushed a handful of sharp-smelling wild plants around me. Without hesitation, I smeared the mixture of mud and leaves over my pants, armor, and the back of my neck.
I held out a handful of the mud to Tywin.
Without a single complaint, the ten-year-old boy copied my movements. He rubbed the wet mud over his torn clothes, then smeared it across his face and through his hair until he was filthy.
The pungent smell of earth and sap now masked the scent of blood from the wound in my thigh.
"Follow every footprint I leave," I whispered again.
"Don't step on any dry branches."
We began moving, turning sharply west, away from the main route toward the Valen Mountains.
Night had completely taken over Silvanum Forest. The atmosphere inside the forest felt utterly different from the afternoon. Giant mahogany and oak trees towered overhead like silent black giants, covering the entire night sky. Thick mist crept slowly across the damp ground, limiting our visibility to only a few meters ahead.
The air grew so cold that every breath we exhaled produced a faint white vapor.
Night sounds began to emerge... leaves rustling against one another in the cold wind, the faint cries of owls from the canopy tops, and the sound of running water hidden in the darkness.
The vast Silvanum Forest felt like an ancient labyrinth, ready to swallow anyone who became lost within it.
I led the way in a winding pattern.
I deliberately chose a route that passed through gaps between rocky outcroppings, leaped over puddles, and occasionally cut across the wind.
There was only one goal.
To disrupt the wind's course so our scent wouldn't be carried to the enemy's tracking hounds.
Creeeak...
I came to an abrupt stop and stretched an arm behind me, holding Tywin back by the chest. We both froze behind the trunk of a petrified oak.
From several hundred meters to our right came a deep, heavy growl, followed by the faint clinking of an iron chain being dragged across the ground.
Woof! Woof!
The sharp bark of the magic-hunting dog shattered the silence of the night, sending a flock of owls suddenly flying from the branches.
My heart beat faster.
I pressed down on Tywin's shoulder, forcing his small body closer to the ground. We held our breath. The smell of chain oil and the aura of tracking magic felt incredibly close, as though the enemy faction's soldiers were only a few steps from our hiding place.
A single minute felt like an hour.
The sound of heavily armored footsteps moved away, following the false trail I had deliberately left along the previous path.
Once I was sure the threat had passed, I gently patted Tywin's back.
"Let's move again," I whispered.
We resumed our journey beneath the night's grip.
Hour after hour passed in constant tension. Every distant snap of a branch forced us to stop and survey our surroundings.
My right leg felt increasingly hot and painful, while Tywin's footsteps behind me grew heavier.
Yet the boy kept biting his lower lip, suppressing his overwhelming fatigue.
We took a long detour, circling nearly half the outer area of Silvanum Forest to make certain the pursuing forces had truly lost our trail.
Finally, after nearly four hours of pushing through the forest's darkness, the large trees began to thin. The cold air, once stifling with the smell of humus, gave way to the fresh scent of river water.
The roar of rushing water grew clearer behind the last of the bushes.
I carefully brushed aside the tall leaves in front of me.
Before us stretched a very wide river. Its clear water reflected the moonlight glittering across its surface.
And on the opposite bank stood a small village. The faint yellow glow of oil lamps shining through the windows of wooden stilt houses looked warm amid the night's deep darkness.
I slowly exhaled.
The tension in my shoulders eased slightly.
We had escaped the enemy's pursuing forces, though we had now taken a wide detour from the main route toward the border.
"We... got away?" Tywin's voice sounded hoarse as he whispered beside me.
"For now," I replied, while continuing to watch the riverbank and the settlement across the water.
My mind began calculating again.
The village ahead could be both an opportunity and a threat. A village meant potential spies or local soldiers who might recognize us.
On the other hand, Tywin needed a hot meal and proper rest before his body truly gave out.
The same was true of my wound, which needed a clean bandage.
My fingers remained close to the hilt of my sword. My vigilance never dropped, even in a place that appeared peaceful.
"We'll cross carefully," I told Tywin.
"We'll find supplies and a place to rest for a while over there, then continue tomorrow morning."
Tywin nodded slowly. He gazed at the village lights across the river with his tired eyes, searching for a little peace amid our long flight.