Page 4 of Moonlit Guardians

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After resting for an hour or so, during which time Eilish does her best to heal Pyre as much as she’s able, we start moving through the forest again. Pyre passes in and out of consciousness. I don’t know exactly what’s happened to him, but whatever it is, it’s something serious.

Baron keeps a watchful eye on our surroundings as we approach a small clearing beside a lake. Eilish stands at the water’s edge with her brow furrowed.

“What is it?” I ask, approaching her.

She points to the splatters of blood in the snow and the mess of footprints that lead to the lake. The once-solid surface is now fractured, and the vibrations of magic linger in the air. We follow Eilish toward the hovel that was once her home. Black feathers are scattered everywhere.

Baron stiffens just outside the door and jerks his head towards a red mark on the wood. “Blood magic,” he sneers.

I summon my sword as Baron sets Pyre against the wall, and we flank Eilish as she turns the handle. When the door yields, the sight inside isn’t a good one. Eilish gasps and runs in, dropping beside Theren with tears in her eyes.

Like the rest of us, Theren is covered in blood—only most of it’s his own. His heavy-lidded gaze falls on me before his eyes finally slide closed, as if he now feels safe to succumb to his injuries.

“Theren!” Eilish says as she shakes him but it’s no good. He’s out.

“Is he dead?” Baron asks.

Eilish leans over and holding her head just in front of his nose, she listens for his breathing. She looks up a me. “No, he’s not dead. I can hear him breathing.”

“Now we have two unconscious deadweights to slow us down,” Baron says. “Hopefully we can make it back to the stronghold before those fucking goblins realize they’re free to leave the caves.”

“We should hurry,” Eilish says before she turns around and looks at us both. “But we’re coming back here again at some point,” she says.

“What?” Baron asks.

“Why?” I say.

She nods. “I want this place restored so we can use it as a safe zone. It would be good to have a place in which to retreat in case of emergencies. Especially after what happened in the Veil when the Unseelie attacked.” She runs her fingers through Theren’s hair, and I feel a stab of jealousy pierce right through my chest. He doesn’t deserve her kindness. I don’t understand how she feels anything towards him.

“Will you help me, Dragan?” she asks as she smiles up at me and motions to the unconscious Unseelie prick beneath her.

I don’t argue but I approach them both and notice how Baron’s gaze drops to the ground as I lift Theren. The vampire goes outside to wake Pyre, while Eilish stays beside me.

“We should leave him here,” I say.

Eilish shakes her head. “He was prisoner to Morrigan just as much as Cambion was. We can’t leave him.”

“The fight to free him nearly cost us all our lives,” I argue. “I don’t trust him—his power is stronger than Cambion’s and much darker. This could all be a ruse.”

“I don’t believe it is,” she argues.

“We will bring Theren back to the stronghold but I want to keep him in the cells until we know he’s no longer under Morrigan’s spell,” I say, my lips tight.

She nods subtly. “Baron said blood magic was used here. Is... is that bad?”

“No magic is innately evil, Eilish,” I admit. “But it can be used for evil. Blood magic, however, is far more susceptible to darkness than even necromancy.”

“Darkness is what you and Baron pull your power from?” she starts.

I shake my head. “I’m not talking about the shadow magic that animates Baron and me. This is a different darkness altogether. I’m talking about the abyss.”

“The abyss?” she repeats, clearly lost.

“Theren’s father and Abedon were once great sorcerers, too, and they succumbed—Elioth more than Abedon.”

“Succumbed to what?”

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