ORLANDA’S heart pounded like a drum against her ribs, each frantic step crunching over dry twigs and dewy leaves under the cloak of the night. Branches slapped at her arms and tangled in her hair, but she didn’t dare stop, not now. Her breath came in ragged gasps, each one tasting of damp earth and fear.

She stumbled again, crashing to her knees on a hidden root, the sharp pain shooting up her leg. She bit back a cry, pushing herself up with trembling arms. It was no time to feel pain and no time to bleed, just run.

Behind her, the darkness felt alive, brimming with unseen eyes that...