Page 155 of Moonlit Fate

“Okay,” I finally whispered. “Together.”

“Right. First thing we need to do is some good old-fashioned recon,” Hale said, rubbing his hands together. “Lucky for you, I’ve been watching the borders.” He unrolled a map, securing the opposite corners with a mug and a potted plant.

“Hale,” I all but growled.

“I know you told me not to, but I wasn’t taking any risks or chances. They saw what I wanted them to—a lowly rogue out for a casual run.” He pointed to the area on the map where the Crimson Fang had invaded the rogues’ territory before the ritual. “I mapped out all the new boundary lines.”

I’d never been so grateful for Hale’s disregard of rules.

I studied the map intently, tracing the lines until it landed on a copse of trees near the newly marked boundary. “Here, we can walk around the perimeter from here and observe them without anyone knowing we’re even there.”

Mia went to her herbs and picked out the ones she thought we might need. Lyza packed a bag with food and supplies.

“Hale, Mia, you’re with me. Joren, you and Lyza are in charge here,” I said. With Hale’s strategic thinking and Mia’s heightened sensitivity to the forest, we’d have a wider range of expertise.

I hefted the bag onto my back, and Mia draped her herb satchel over her shoulder. The three of us set out in a heavy, contemplative silence. I pushed through the foliage, branches snapping back as we moved. The forest around Crimson Fang territory was like a second skin, too tight, buzzing with energy that wasn’t ours.

“Something’s off here,” Mia said so quietly I almost didn’t hear her. She tilted her head, then pointed to a discolored leaf that stood out against the lush greenery.

“Tracks?” I asked, knowing her instincts were sharper than any blade.

“Maybe,” she replied. “Not recent.”

Hale brought up the rear, using years of practice to make sure we left no trail, erasing any we inadvertently made.

We trudged on, the silence of the forest pressing in around us. It felt wrong, like walking through a graveyard at midnight.

“Atticus, what will you do if—” Hale began, but I cut him off.

“Find the truth,” I said. “That’s all that matters now.”

We rounded a bend in the river, where the tangle of roots and branches gave way to open space. The air felt empty, hollowed out. I glanced at Mia. Her eyes were narrowed as she surveyed the area intently. We stepped closer to the water’s edge, and a strange energy pulled me toward a stone. It was ancient and covered in moss. Runes etched into it pulsed with a weak light.

“Look at this,” I said, pointing toward the glow.

Mia leaned in, her hand hovering above the etchings without touching them. “It’s a conduit,” she whispered.

Hale peered at it, his eyebrows knitting together.

“Caius is channeling the forest’s magic. But how?” Mia asked.

I crouched in front of the stone, mesmerized by the eerie luminescence emanating from it. “We have to figure it out. Fast.”

After it gave up no secrets or answers, I stepped back from the stone. Shadows bent around me—a trick I’d learned to keep myself hidden. Now, they seemed sluggish, as if struggling against a force that was draining their very life force.

“He’s not just channeling it,” I said, my voice low and grim. “He’s consuming it. If he’s learned to drain the forest... what’s stopping him from draining us?”

Mia flinched, looking around at the stone and the surrounding woods. She knew as well as I did how dangerous this was. Hale dropped to one knee, his fingers brushing over the earth as if reading a story in its patterns.

“Look at these,” he muttered. He pointed to lines etched into the ground around the stone. “These are binding marks. He’spreparing to extend his reach, maybe to shifters. This isn’t just about power, it’s about control.” Hale’s face was pale, an edge of alarm in his eyes.

Control meant more than just dominance. It meant our free will was at stake. We stood there, the reality of our situation sinking in, the balance of our world teetering on a knife’s edge.

“Let’s go,” I muttered, turning away from the ominous glow of the stone. My fists clenched at my sides as we navigated back through the underbrush, each step fueling the fire inside me. “We need to stop him.”

Mia nodded. “Before it’s too late.”

“We can’t allow him to gain more ground,” Hale said.

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