Calvin’s POV
The eerie silence of the Helion Forest did nothing to settle the storm raging inside me.
Towering trees loomed on all sides, their skeletal branches twisting toward the sky like gnarled fingers. The scent of damp earth and decaying leaves filled my nostrils as I followed the path Sherelle’s message had led me to.
A cabin stood in the middle of the clearing, old and unassuming, the wooden panels slightly weathered from years of neglect. It looked like the perfect place to keep someone hidden.
Or trapped.
I stepped forward, my boots crunching against the leaves, and knocked on the door.
No response.
I knocked again, harder this time.
Still, nothing.
My jaw clenched as I reached for the handle and pushed. The door creaked open easily—unlocked.
Suspicious.
Keeping my gu
