The noise of the camp faded the farther Ezra walked.
Each step carried him deeper into the trees until the sounds of shouting soldiers and clanking armor dissolved into something quieter. The ground beneath his boots softened with fallen leaves, and the tall trees of Mirevale's forest closed in around him.
Branches wove together overhead, letting only thin slivers of light slip through.
Soon there was nothing but the rustle of leaves and the distant whisper of wind moving through the canopy.
Ezra continued forward.
'Where are you, idiots.'
Silas had nowhere else to go. Not when the entire camp was busy setting up headquarters.
If the four disgraced knights wanted privacy to deal with him, the woods would be the obvious place.
Ezra slowed his steps.
Then he heard it.
A dull thud.
Another.
A strained grunt.
Ezra's eyes narrowed.
'Found you.'
The sound brought back an oddly familiar memory.
It was almost exactly how he had found Aurien once.
