Selene's boots crashed against the forest floor, each step heavier than the last. Her breath was ragged but controlled—no time to falter. The weight of Gabriel's unconscious form in her arms slowed her progress, but she knew she couldn't afford to stop.
Behind her, the sounds of the battlefield—once filled with clashing steel, shouts of war, and Kael's cold laughter—faded, swallowed by the vast, ominous expanse of the Blackwood Forest. The moon, a sickly green against a sky darkened by encroaching storm clouds, cast long shadows across the twisted trees. It seemed almost alive—its branches reaching like gnarled fingers, twisting in strange patterns as if the very forest were a sentient being, aware of her presence.
She could still feel Kael's gaze on her back, even though he had let her slip through his grasp.
But why?
Selene didn't believe in mercy. Not from a man like him.
Her grip tightened on Gabriel's limp body, her fingers trembling with the strain of his weight. She needed to reach the Sanctuary. The Veiled Order's hidden refuge lay deep within the cursed woods, protected by ancient wards and powerful illusions. It was the only place where Kael's influence couldn't reach—not yet, anyway.
A chilling gust of wind sliced through the trees, rustling the leaves like whispers in the dark. Selene's senses prickled. Her instincts screamed.
Something was wrong.
Too quiet.
She spun instinctively, her body reacting before her mind could fully process the danger. She twisted mid-step—just in time to feel the sharp, icy bite of a dagger pass mere inches from her throat.
"Damn it!" she snarled under her breath.
She leapt backward, her rapier flashing in the moonlight as she slid into a defensive stance, eyes scanning the shadows that danced beneath the canopy. The air felt thick—heavy with an oppressive presence. Something ancient, something dark.
More shadows flickered at the edge of her vision, and she knew.
Then they struck.
Figures cloaked in deep, inky blackness emerged from the trees—silent, fluid, like wraiths. Their curved blades gleamed with an unholy blue light, a sickening aura that burned the very air they cut through. Their movements were precise, calculated. Selene knew them immediately—the Nightborn. Kael's spies. His personal executioners.
Her heart thudded harder in her chest. Of course. Kael hadn't let her go. He had sent his wolves to hunt her down.
Selene's mouth set in a grim line. She wouldn't let them take her. Not now. Not after everything.
Her rapier flashed, and before the first assassin could react, she drove the blade deep into his throat. He let out a gurgling gasp as his body collapsed into wisps of dark mist, dissipating into the night like a nightmare slipping away with the dawn.
But the real attack came in the split second after. From behind.
She barely had time to twist, to raise her blade. A sharp, metallic clang rang in the night as she blocked one dagger aimed at her ribs, only for another to slash across her side.
The pain was immediate, a hot streak of agony.
Poison.
Her vision swam as she staggered back, clutching her side. Every breath she took felt like fire. But there was no time. She had to keep moving, keep fighting.
Another assassin lunged at her, but she met him with a savage riposte, her rapier cutting through his chest with a sickening squelch. He, too, dissolved into mist before he hit the ground.
More. Too many.
They were closing in.
She couldn't fight them all while carrying Gabriel.
She cursed under her breath.
No choice.
With a swift motion, she hurled Gabriel's unconscious body into the thick underbrush, a safe distance away, hidden from view. Then—she turned back to face her attackers.
The forest erupted in chaos.
Selene moved like lightning, each step a blur of violet and steel. Her rapier flowed with deadly precision, cutting through the darkness, and yet, still more Nightborn emerged from the trees, their weapons flashing like serpents in the night. She danced between them, twisting and turning, her blade a storm of light amidst the darkness.
One assassin crumpled to the ground, the others closing in fast. Their movements were too synchronized, too perfect. They anticipated every strike, every feint she threw.
She was fast, but they were relentless.
A dagger buried itself deep into her ribs—again, this time higher, closer to her heart. The pain was sharp, overwhelming, and for a moment, her vision blurred entirely. Her limbs were starting to feel heavier, each movement sluggish.
Poison. She could feel it working its way through her veins, a cold fire that sapped her strength with every heartbeat.
Her rapier wavered in her grip.
She couldn't keep this up.
Then, she smiled.
A cold, savage smile.
Her free hand shot out, gathering the remaining arcane energy she had left—thin tendrils of violet flame wove between her fingers, crackling with raw, volatile power. She let out a sharp exhale, and the flames erupted outward, cascading in all directions.
The Nightborn howled, stumbling back as the violet fire consumed the first row of assassins, their bodies bursting into flames. The air was thick with the scent of scorched flesh, and the surviving assassins paused, disoriented, giving Selene just enough time to lunge at the nearest attacker.
With a final, brutal thrust, she drove her rapier through his heart.
The last assassin stood frozen, her form silhouetted against the violet inferno. She seemed to hesitate, a flicker of fear in her eyes.
Selene's voice was low, deadly. "You should have brought more men."
The assassin's expression shifted—uncertainty flickering for just a moment before she melted into the shadows, retreating into the night.
Selene's blood pooled on the ground as she staggered forward, Gabriel's body now the only thing keeping her upright. The assassins were gone, but the poison still coursed through her veins.
She could see it now. The towering monolith of black stone, hidden deep within the trees—a single, ancient doorway glowing with a faint, welcoming light. The Veiled Sanctuary.
Her body screamed in protest, but she had no choice.
She stumbled forward, casting the incantation under her breath as she approached the stone. The words were sharp, ancient, and powerful—meant to open the veil between worlds.
The stone trembled beneath her fingers, the air humming with raw magic, and a doorway split open before her eyes.
She stepped inside.
The world faded.
The warm glow of torches greeted her, and the faces of the Veiled Order's few remaining members materialized in the shadows. Their eyes wide with concern, but the tension in their gaze melted into silent relief.
Selene collapsed into the arms of her people, her body finally giving out.
And then—darkness.
To be continued...