The Blood Knight
1437 Words
Malikye’s POV
We didn’t stop moving after the wolf disappeared.
If anything, we moved faster.
The forest swallowed us within minutes, the last glow of the city fading behind us until it felt like it had never existed at all. The ground softened beneath my boots, damp earth replacing pavement, the scent of pine and moss thick in the cool night air. Branches stretched overhead, weaving together so tightly they blocked most of the sky, leaving only fragments of silver moonlight slipping through like broken glass.
Each beam seemed to follow me.
Or maybe that was just my imagination catching up to reality.
I glanced down at my hand. The crescent mark glowed faintly, sharper than before, as if it had been carved into my skin rather than born there.
It wasn’t just a mark anymore.
It was awake.
I exhaled slowly, trying to steady my breathing as we moved deeper into the trees. Kael walked ahead, silent and focused, his shoulders squared, his steps precise like every movement had purpose. Selene followed just behind him, her posture calm, almost untouched by the urgency that pressed against my chest.
Meanwhile, my thoughts refused to slow.
“This keeps getting worse,” I muttered under my breath, though not quietly enough.
“It will,” Kael replied without turning, his tone even, as if he were commenting on the weather rather than our rapidly declining situation.
I frowned at his back.
“You’re not very comforting.”
“I’m not meant to be.”
Selene glanced at me, a faint smile touching her lips despite everything.
“He speaks the truth,” she said gently. “Right now, truth is more valuable than comfort.”
“I would prefer both,” I said, my voice quieter now as I scanned the shadows between the trees.
The forest felt wrong.
Alive, yes—but not peaceful. It felt aware. Every shifting leaf, every distant rustle seemed intentional, like something just beyond sight was tracking us.
And beneath it all—
That feeling.
It surged again.
Stronger.
Closer.
I stopped walking.
The sudden halt made Selene turn immediately, her eyes narrowing as she studied me.
“What is it?” she asked, her voice low but alert.
I swallowed, my gaze lifting toward the darkness behind us.
“It’s back,” I said, my voice tightening. “But it’s stronger now. Not like the Hollow… this is different.”
Kael turned slowly.
His entire posture shifted, tension settling into his shoulders as his hand dropped to the hilt of his blade.
“Describe it,” he said.
“It feels like something is watching me,” I said, forcing the words out. “Not searching. Not guessing. It knows exactly where I am.”
Selene’s expression darkened.
“That is not the Hollow.”
“I figured that,” I muttered.
The forest went silent.
Not gradually.
Instantly.
The wind stopped.
The leaves stilled.
Even the distant sounds of wildlife vanished.
A silence so complete it felt unnatural pressed around us.
Kael stepped slightly in front of us.
“Stay close,” he said firmly.
I didn’t argue.
For once.
The mark in my palm flared brighter.
Heat spread through my hand, not painful, but intense enough to make my fingers twitch.
Then—
A sound.
A single step.
Heavy.
Deliberate.
My breath caught as I turned slowly.
Through the trees, at the edge of the forest where the moonlight cut through the darkness, a figure stood.
Tall.
Still.
Watching.
At first, it looked like a man.
Then the light shifted.
And I saw what he really was.
Dark armor clung to his body, etched with faint glowing symbols that pulsed like dying embers. A long, tattered cloak hung from his shoulders, dragging behind him like smoke. His face was partially hidden beneath a hood, but what I could see was wrong—too pale, too still, like something carved rather than living.
And his eyes—
Burned red.
Not wild like the Hollow.
Controlled.
Focused.
Deadly.
In his hand, he held a sword.
Long.
Black.
The blade seemed to swallow the moonlight around it.
My stomach dropped.
“That’s him,” I whispered.
Kael didn’t look surprised.
“The Blood Knight.”
Selene stepped slightly forward, her gaze fixed on him.
“He found us faster than expected.”
The Blood Knight didn’t move at first.
He simply watched.
Studied.
Then he took one step forward.
The ground cracked beneath his foot.
“Malikye.”
My blood ran cold.
I hadn’t told him my name.
“That’s unsettling,” I muttered, my voice tighter now.
Kael stepped fully in front of me.
“You will not take him,” he said, his voice firm, unwavering.
The Blood Knight tilted his head slightly, as if considering that statement.
“I will,” he replied calmly. “Because he belongs to Damon.”
Something inside me snapped.
“No,” I said, stepping slightly to the side so I could see him, my voice sharper than I expected. “I don’t belong to anyone.”
His glowing eyes shifted to me.
For a moment, everything else faded.
“You carry his blood,” he said slowly. “That makes you his.”
Anger flared.
Hot and immediate.
“Not a chance,” I said, meeting his gaze despite the fear tightening in my chest.
The mark in my palm burned brighter.
The Blood Knight noticed.
His gaze dropped briefly to my hand.
Then lifted again.
“The power has awakened,” he said.
His grip tightened on the sword.
“Good.”
That single word sent a chill through me.
Kael drew his blade.
Selene stepped forward, her hands glowing faintly with silver light.
“Malikye,” she said, her voice calm but urgent, “do not engage him directly.”
“That wasn’t my plan,” I replied, though I hadn’t moved.
“Run,” Kael said.
“I’ve been doing that all night.”
“Do it again.”
The Blood Knight moved.
Not fast.
Not rushed.
But suddenly he was closer.
Too close.
Kael lunged first.
Steel collided with a sharp crack that echoed through the forest. The force of it sent a shockwave through the air, rattling the branches overhead.
I flinched.
The Blood Knight didn’t.
He barely moved, blocking each strike with minimal effort.
Kael pressed harder, his movements sharp and controlled, but the Blood Knight matched him effortlessly.
Selene grabbed my arm.
“Now,” she said.
We ran.
Branches snapped against my arms as we pushed deeper into the forest. My breath came faster, uneven, my heart pounding against my ribs as the sounds of the fight echoed behind us.
Steel.
Impact.
Power.
Then—
A surge.
Dark.
Heavy.
It rolled through the forest like a wave.
I stumbled, gasping as it hit me, the mark in my palm flaring violently.
“Selene—”
“I know,” she said, pulling me forward. “Keep moving!”
I turned despite myself.
Kael stood several yards behind us.
Still standing.
The Blood Knight stood across from him.
Unmoving.
Watching.
Kael stepped back slowly, retreating without turning his back.
The Blood Knight didn’t follow.
Instead, his gaze lifted.
Past Kael.
To me.
Even at that distance, I felt it.
Cold.
Unavoidable.
He raised his sword slightly.
“This is not over,” he said, his voice carrying through the trees.
Then—
He vanished.
Not into shadow.
Not into smoke.
Just—
Gone.
The forest fell silent again.
Kael turned and walked toward us, his breathing slightly heavier now, a thin line of blood running down his arm.
I stared at him.
“You’re alive.”
“Yes.”
“That feels like a win.”
“For now.”
I exhaled shakily.
“I don’t like that phrase anymore.”
Selene looked back toward where the Blood Knight had stood.
“He was testing you,” she said quietly.
“Testing me?” I repeated.
Kael nodded.
“He wanted to see your power.”
I looked down at my hand.
The mark still glowed.
Stronger.
“And now he has,” I said.
Silence settled between us.
Selene met my gaze.
“That was only the beginning.”
I sighed.
“Of course it was.”
Kael turned toward the deeper forest.
“We move.”
I nodded.
And as we continued forward, one thought settled heavily in my mind.
The Hollow had been hunters.
But the Blood Knight—
He was something else entirely.
And next time…
He wouldn’t be testing me.
- Writer
