The forest suddenly turned quiet; the only thing to hear was the crunching of the dead leaves beneath their feet.
Even the falcons overhead had stopped crying and disappeared. The silence pressed on Silver's ears until she could hear nothing but the faint thud of her own heartbeat. Her fingers flexed against the reins, leather slick against her gloves. She didn't know why, but her body recognized something her mind didn't yet—something wrong threaded through the wind. She closed her eyes, trying to make sense of what was happening. There is no way someone like the Duke would be thrown off and lost by something ordinary. The trees definitely changed; it's like they are in a completely different forest.
"Your Grace," she murmured.
The Duke didn't answer. His posture shifted slightly behind her as he gripped her shoulder; that was enough to tell her something was wrong.
