The Shadow Between Us

Chapter Eight: The Circle’s Invitation

The air in Blackthorn Hollow felt heavier than usual. Even the mundane tasks of daily life—walking down the street, watching the sun set over the hills—were laced with tension. The blood moon was coming, and with it, something I couldn’t name but could feel in my bones. The shadows clung to everything longer, their edges sharper and darker, as if they were alive and waiting for something. For me.

I tried to focus on anything other than that gnawing feeling. Training with Kael filled the daylight hours, but as soon as night fell, I was alone with my thoughts—and the whispers of the woods beyond my grandmother’s house.

It happened late on Saturday evening. I was at the kitchen table, flipping through my mother’s grimoire again, searching for anything that might give me an edge. My grandmother was unusually quiet as she sipped her tea, her eyes darting to the window every few moments. It wasn’t just me who could feel it. The whole house seemed to groan under the weight of the coming storm.

Then came the knock.

It wasn’t loud or aggressive, but it cut through the silence like a knife. My grandmother stiffened immediately, setting her teacup down with such force that the liquid spilled over the edge.

“Don’t answer it,” she said sharply, her voice trembling.

I froze, staring at her. “Why not?”

“Because I know what it is.”

Her words sent a chill down my spine, but curiosity pushed me to my feet. Ignoring her warning, I walked to the door. The knock came again—three steady raps, too deliberate, too calculated to be anything ordinary.

When I opened it, no one was there.

Instead, resting on the porch was a small black envelope, its surface shimmering faintly in the moonlight. A crimson wax seal held it shut, stamped with a symbol that made my stomach twist: a crescent moon entwined with a circle of thorns.

I stared at it, my breath catching in my throat. The air around me seemed to thrum with energy, cold and electric, as if the invitation itself were alive.

“Seraphina!” my grandmother barked from behind me. “Close the door. Now.”

But I didn’t. I bent down and picked up the envelope, the wax seal crumbling to dust the moment it touched my fingers. The card inside slid out easily, its surface smooth and cold, the words etched in silvery ink that seemed to glow faintly in the moonlight.

Seraphina Vale,

You are cordially invited to a gathering beneath the blood moon.

Tonight, in the clearing where the shadows linger.

Come alone. The Circle waits.

I read the words twice, my stomach sinking further with each pass. My grandmother’s sharp intake of breath behind me only confirmed what I already knew: this wasn’t just an invitation. It was a summons.

“Burn it,” she said, her voice low and trembling. “Burn it and forget you ever saw it.”

“They’ll come for me anyway,” I said, turning to face her. “Won’t they?”

Her silence was answer enough.

I didn’t tell Kael about the invitation. He’d never let me go, and even if he tried to follow me, I knew it would only make things worse. The card had been clear: Come alone.

At midnight, I slipped out of the house, the pendant my grandmother had given me warm against my chest. The woods loomed before me, dark and silent, the faint red glow of the moon casting eerie shadows on the path. Every instinct screamed at me to turn back, but I kept moving. Whatever the Circle wanted, I needed to know. I couldn’t fight them if I didn’t understand them.

The path to the clearing felt longer than it should’ve, as if the forest itself was stretching, twisting around me. The trees leaned closer together, their gnarled branches reaching for me like skeletal hands. My breathing grew shallow, the air around me thick with an energy that buzzed in my ears and pressed against my chest.

When I reached the clearing, the first thing I noticed was the fire. It burned in the center, but the flames weren’t natural. They were black, twisting and writhing like living shadows. Around it stood thirteen figures, their faces hidden by dark cloaks and masks that shimmered faintly in the firelight.

The Circle.

“You came,” a voice said, smooth and melodic, cutting through the night like a blade. One of the figures stepped forward, their mask different from the others—ornate and silver, etched with intricate designs that seemed to move under the light.

“Eryx,” I said before I even realized I knew his name. It came to me as naturally as breathing, like I’d always known it, though we’d never met.

The figure tilted his head, his mask catching the glow of the fire. “Ah, so you’ve heard of me. I must admit, I’m flattered.”

My heart pounded as I clenched my fists. “What do you want from me?”

“What we’ve always wanted,” he said, his tone light, almost amused. “Your power. Your destiny.”

“I don’t believe in destiny,” I shot back.

“Then you don’t understand what you are,” he replied, stepping closer. “You were born for this. To stand where your mother once stood. To finish what she could not.”

His words sent a chill through me, and I struggled to keep my voice steady. “What do you mean?”

“She thought she could fight us, that she could escape what was written in her blood. But the blood moon has its own will. It chose her, just as it has chosen you.”

“I’m not like her,” I said, taking a step back.

“No,” Eryx said, his voice soft, almost pitying. “You’re stronger.”

The Circle began to chant then, their voices low and rhythmic, weaving through the air like a dark melody. The fire flared higher, casting long, twisting shadows that seemed to stretch toward me, wrapping around my feet and legs.

“Join us, Seraphina,” Eryx said, extending his hand. “We can show you the truth. The power that lies within you. The blood moon is calling, and its light belongs to us.”

The shadows tightened around me, cold and suffocating, but I didn’t move. I clutched the pendant around my neck, its warmth grounding me as I fought the pull of the Circle’s magic.

“I’m not here to join you,” I said, my voice shaking but firm. “I’m here to stop you.”

Eryx’s laugh was cold and sharp. “You think you can fight what you are? Foolish girl.”

He raised his hand, and the shadows surged forward, coiling around me like snakes. Panic clawed at my chest, but I forced myself to focus, reaching for the magic inside me.

It came slowly at first, a faint hum in the back of my mind. But as the shadows tightened, the hum grew louder, stronger, until it roared through me like a tidal wave. Light burst from my hands, golden and fierce, scattering the shadows and pushing the Circle back.

The chanting stopped, and the fire flickered, its dark flames shrinking into embers. Eryx tilted his head, studying me with a curiosity that sent a shiver down my spine.

“So you’ve chosen the hard way,” he said, his voice calm. “Very well.”

The shadows around him melted into the trees, and one by one, the members of the Circle disappeared into the night. But before he vanished, Eryx’s voice rang out, cold and clear.

“We’ll see you again, Keeper. The blood moon rises.”

I stumbled back to my grandmother’s house just as the first light of dawn broke over the horizon. My legs felt like jelly, and my arms ached from the strain of wielding my magic. When I walked through the door, my grandmother was waiting, her face pale and drawn.

“They know what you are now,” I said, my voice hollow. “They’re not going to stop.”

She nodded slowly, her expression grim. “Then neither can you.”

I collapsed into a chair, exhaustion tugging at the edges of my mind. The Circle had made their move, and I’d survived—for now. But the blood moon was still coming, and I knew this was only the beginning.

If I wanted to stand against them, I’d have to master my magic. Because next time, I wouldn’t be fighting to survive. I’d be fighting to win.