THE CURSED MOON HEIR

CHAPTER 8: THE TRAITOR’S NAME

ROSELYN’S POV

The Shadow Hunters charged. Six dark figures surged through the trees at once, their black cloaks billowing behind them like living shadows. Moonlight flashed across silver blades as they closed the distance with terrifying speed.

“Stay behind me,” the stranger said.

His voice remained calm as he stepped in front of me, drawing the twin curved daggers hidden beneath his cloak. Their polished blades reflected the pale moonlight, but there was nothing magical about them. They were simply well-used weapons in experienced hands. The scarred leader watched without moving, his crimson eyes settled on the stranger.

“So,” he said coldly. “You chose her.”

The stranger didn’t answer. The first assassin reached him, Steel clashed. The stranger twisted sideways, deflecting the blade before driving the hilt of one dagger into the attacker’s throat. The hunter stumbled backward, gasping. Another came from the right, the stranger spun, forcing him away with a quick s***h that cut through the man’s sleeve. A third attacked from behind.

I opened my mouth to warn him— He had already heard. Without looking back, he ducked beneath the strike and kicked the assassin squarely in the chest. The man crashed into a tree.

For a brief moment… It looked as though the stranger might actually win. Then the scarred leader raised one hand asking them to all attack. The remaining hunters changed formation instantly, now they moved as one.

Two kept the stranger occupied from the front, another circled to his left, one slipped silently behind him. The last two began moving toward me, my heart lurched.

“They’re coming!” I cried.

The stranger glanced over his shoulder, his eyes narrowed, and he saw exactly what they intended. One hunter suddenly lunged past him. The stranger tried to intercept, but the scarred leader blocked him. Their weapons collided with a deafening clang.

“You’ve slowed down,” the scarred leader said.

The stranger pushed him back. “I’ve learned patience.”

“You’ve grown weak.”

“I’ve grown older.”

The scarred leader’s lips curled into a faint smile. “So have I.”

Meanwhile, the two hunters reached me, I turned and ran. Branches whipped across my face as I sprinted through the trees… I had barely taken ten steps before one of them grabbed my cloak. I cried out as he pulled me backward, the pendant beneath my dress struck against my chest, Heat spread through my body.

No… Not again… The warmth intensified until it became unbearable.

The hunter frowned. “What is that light?”

Silver radiance seeped through the fabric covering the pendant, and before I could react— A pulse of moonlight burst outward. The hunter shouted and released me, shielding his eyes. Every Shadow Hunter froze, even the scarred leader staggered one step backward.

“The seal…” he whispered.

His voice no longer carried confidence. “It shouldn’t be responding already.”

The silver glow faded as quickly as it had appeared, my knees buckled, and the stranger reached me before I hit the ground.

“Can you stand?”

“I… I think so.”

He helped me up without another word. The scarred leader recovered first. His expression hardened.

“Take her.”

All six hunters charged again. The stranger looked around once, Not at the hunters, but at the forest.

His eyes swept over the towering oaks, the rocky slope to our right, and the narrow animal trail disappearing between two enormous roots. He made his decision instantly. “This way.” He grabbed my wrist and we ran.

The hunters pursued us relentlessly. The stranger didn’t choose the easiest path, he chose the narrowest. Twisting between ancient trees, climbing over fallen trunks, slipping through spaces too tight for armored men to cross easily. “You know this forest,” I gasped.

“I should,” he replied.

Behind us, curses echoed through the darkness. One hunter stumbled over a hidden root, Another slammed into a low branch he hadn’t seen. The stranger never looked back because he already knew where every obstacle lay.

The chase continued for what felt like forever. My lungs burned, my legs felt ready to collapse. Then, finally, we reached a steep ravine. Moonlight shimmered over the narrow stream flowing below.

“There,” the stranger said as he pointed toward a fallen tree spanning the gap.

“Cross.”

“It’s too narrow,” I said.

“You can do it.”

The hunters burst from the trees behind us. “There they are!”

I swallowed my fear and stepped onto the fallen trunk, the bark was damp beneath my boots. Halfway across, I nearly slipped, but the stranger caught my arm before I fell. Together, we reached the opposite side. The scarred leader stopped at the edge of the ravine, he didn’t attempt to cross. Instead, he stared at the stranger for several long seconds… Neither of them spoke.

Finally, the scarred leader broke the silence. “You can’t keep hiding her forever…” His gaze hardened “… Darius.”

The name hung in the night air, I slowly turned toward the stranger, Darius. He closed his eyes briefly, as though hearing the name awakened memories he wished had remained buried. When he opened them again, they were filled with quiet determination. Without looking at me, he spoke. “Keep moving.”

I hesitated. “You… know me.” Silence. “You knew Roland.” Still no answer, so I took another step closer and asked, “Who are you?” And for the first time since we met…he answered.

“My name is Darius.” Nothing more, no explanation, no excuses, only a name. Yet something in his voice told me that the answers I’d spent my entire life searching for… had just begun.