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"Senara?" Wyn was at my side instantly, her face pale with concern.

"I'm fine," I lied, straightening. "Just tired."

A low growl emanated from the shadows to our left, close, too close. We froze. Through the trees, I caught glimpses of movement: a figure loping on all fours, its silhouette wrong in ways I couldn't quite define.

"Don't run," Van whispered, his voice barely audible. "They chase anything that flees."

I wanted to snap at him that I was well aware of how the feral fae responded when people ran. After all, Thorn and I had barely escaped the last time they had cornered us and that had all been because we ran, not that there had been any hope of surviving the horde otherwise.

The creature emerged into a patch of moonlight. Once, it might have been a courtier of the Moon Fae, tall and elegant. Now its spine curved unnaturally, forcing it into a hunched posture. Its skin had turned ashen gray, cracked like dried mud, with corruption seeping through the fissures like black ichor. But its eyes were the worst part, milky white and unseeing, yet somehow fixing on our group with terrible awareness.

"Old one," it rasped, its voice a broken echo of what it once might have been. "I smell... old magic in you."

I couldn't tell if it was addressing me or Van, but a chill ran through my body either way. The feral fae tilted its head, nostrils flaring as it scented the air. Its corrupted form twitched spasmodically, like a puppet with tangled strings.

"Eclipse Child," it hissed suddenly, its blank eyes somehow finding mine with unerring precision. "Two souled one. We found you."

The words filled my heart with dread as it tried to beat its way out of my ribcage. I had heard those same words too many times before at this point. How did it know I was an Eclipse Child though? None of the other more sentient feral fae had ever mentioned it. Plus, the corruption was supposed to strip away memory, reason, everything but hunger and rage unless they were being controlled by someone else.

Immediately, my head whipped around, looking for Eldric. There was no one there though.

A feminine laugh echoed through the trees, one that made the dread turn toward despair.

"Back away slowly," Thorn murmured, positioning himself between me and the creature. "No sudden movements."

The feral fae's head snapped toward him, a grotesque smile splitting its cracked face. "Sun warrior," it crooned. "Your light... cannot save her."

More shapes materialized from the shadows, three, no, five more corrupted fae, all in various stages of transformation. Some still kept mostly humanoid features, while others had degraded further, their limbs elongated to impossible proportions, their faces barely recognizable.

They formed a loose circle around us, not attacking yet, but cutting off our escape routes.

"Van," I whispered urgently. "The Gardens, how close?"

"Just beyond that rise," he nodded toward a gentle slope ahead, where the trees thinned slightly. "But they won't let us simply walk there."

The first feral fae took a shambling step forward. "The courts... seek you," it said, its voice fluctuating between a growl and something almost melodic, something that reminded me of the Void Dragon Empress. "But the darkness... it will claim you first."

"I don't think so," I replied, gathering my courage as I stepped forward to stand beside Thorn. My Mark flared with icy fire, illuminating the clearing with silver light.

The creature recoiled, hissing like water on hot coals. The others flinched back as well.

"Moon magic hurts them," Volker observed, his voice tight with fear and fascination.

Before I could respond, the Mark pulsed again, but this time, golden heat replaced the silver chill. The sudden transition staggered me, and the light dimmed momentarily.

The feral fae sensed the weakness instantly. "The stars remember," it murmured. "When moon and sun unite..."

My Mark flared even more painfully at its words, as if responding to some ancient recognition. I bit back a gasp, forcing myself to keep moving. Thorn's hand found mine, his warmth steadying me.

"Don't listen to it," he whispered. "Corruption twists their minds. They speak nonsense."

But the words didn't feel like nonsense. They resonated with something deep within me, something I didn't yet understand about my nature. As though Thorn's words had pissed it off, the lead creature lunged forward with unnatural speed, claws extended toward my throat.

I flinched down, trying to avoid the blow that would probably take my life while Thorn's sword flashed in an arc of golden fire, catching the creature mid leap. It shrieked as the blade bit into corrupted flesh; the sound piercing enough to make my ears ring. Black ichor sprayed across the forest floor, sizzling where it landed.

"Run!" he shouted, already engaging a second feral fae that had launched itself toward us.

We bolted toward the rise, Van leading the way with surprising agility for someone who presented himself as a mere bard. Wyn followed, her new, magically enhanced athleticism and grace clear in every step and the way she didn't fall on her face like she used to when we were running from the city guard.