Jude crouched beside her. Thin glyphs, barely visible, were etched into the bark, carved in a language he didn't know, but felt. "They're not ours."
Serena's eyes scanned the fog. "We should move back. Whatever wrote those glyphs didn't want us to see them."
Before Jude could respond, a rustle passed through the mist. They froze. The sound wasn't animal. It was slow, deliberate. A shape moved behind the trees, tall, humanoid, but not a watcher. Not mist. Flesh. It vanished before they could follow.
They retreated, marking the spot with silver ribbon. By the time they returned to camp, the sky had darkened despite the hour.
"They're testing us," Jude said as they gathered beneath the arch. "Something else is in the forest. It watches us like the watchers do, but not with curiosity. It's older. Maybe more territorial."
Sophie frowned. "Could it be one of the monsters from the mountain?"