Almost There

The watching creature vanished without a trace, the lambent glow from its eyes lingering for just a moment longer than the rest of it.
 
Maia took a step forward involuntarily, a look of dismay flickering across her face, hopefully faster than the Marshal could see.
 
She'd been so close to answers about her heritage. She just knew it. The creature was part of the forest and its magic, and it seemed not to mean them any harm. In fact, it had helped defend them from the charlatans.
 
Could they have done anything different to make peace with the watcher? Impossible to say, now. If only they'd found the other two first. Surely Ashryn's scholarly knowledge would've been helpful here. Maia could only hope this wasn't her only chance.
 
So close.