Elion stood beside him most of the time with his hands in his pockets, half-listening while his eyes moved over the officers, the soldiers, the map markers, and the routes being pointed out.
Every checkpoint had the same flavour of unease; Different words, different commanders, different roads, but the underlying story was the same wherever they arrived.
The demons were moving more, but not randomly. The worst part was that these hidden ravines and tunnels kept appearing out of nowhere.
Each time Alexander and the group took to the skies, it was quieter and quieter. News had already been sent to Haven, but that didn't mean an immediate solution had been found. When Elion asked, Alexander said someone strong had already been put on the case.
At the second village stop that day, Peter tried to lighten the mood by buying roasted skewers from a frightened but very determined old woman who refused to stop selling food just because "some horned bastards were skulking around the woods."
