The Devil’s Crossing
693 Words
The forest never slept.
Ancient trees stretched toward the night sky, their twisted branches weaving together until they swallowed the moonlight.
Ronan urged his horse deeper into the wilderness.
The farther he rode from Moonridge, the quieter the world became.
No birds.
No insects.
Not even the wind.
His wolf stirred uneasily.
We’re being watched.
Ronan’s hand instinctively moved to the silver dagger Gareth had given him.
“Show yourself.”
Only silence answered.
Several miles behind him…
Seraphina guided her black mare along the same mountain trail.
She had traveled alone before.
But never this far beyond vampire territory.
Never toward Elderglen.
She tightened her cloak against the cold.
“If the witches know the truth…”
“I’ll hear it from them.”
A twig snapped behind her.
She spun.
Nothing.
The forest stood still.
Yet she couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was following her.
High above the narrow mountain pass…
A masked archer waited patiently.
Their bow remained steady.
Their breathing slow.
The arrowhead shimmered with dark violet runes.
Not silver.
Not iron.
Witchcraft.
One shot.
That was all it would take.
Ronan’s horse suddenly stopped.
Its ears flattened.
It refused to take another step.
“What is it?”
The animal trembled.
Then…
It bolted.
Ronan barely had time to leap clear before the horse disappeared into the darkness.
A sharp whistle sliced through the air.
His instincts screamed.
He dropped to one knee.
An enchanted arrow shot past his head and exploded against the rocks behind him.
Stone shattered.
Fragments rained across the trail.
Another arrow came.
Then another.
Each one struck with terrifying precision.
Ronan rolled behind a fallen tree.
Someone wasn’t trying to warn him.
They were trying to erase him.
On the opposite side of the pass…
Seraphina heard the explosions.
She immediately urged her horse forward.
Smoke drifted through the trees.
The scent of blood reached her moments later.
She slowed.
A battle.
Her instincts told her to leave.
Instead…
She pressed on.
Ronan darted between boulders as more arrows crashed into the mountainside.
Whoever the archer was…
They never missed.
One arrow grazed his shoulder.
Pain exploded through his arm.
The wound blackened instantly.
“Poison…”
He gritted his teeth.
Not ordinary poison.
Magic.
His healing slowed.
Another arrow flew.
Ronan couldn’t dodge in time.
Suddenly—
A blade flashed through the darkness.
The arrow split cleanly in half before reaching him.
Ronan looked up.
A hooded rider stood between him and the cliff.
Sword drawn.
The rider’s breathing was calm.
Steady.
Without a word, they blocked another arrow.
Then another.
Ronan narrowed his eyes.
“Who are you?”
The rider didn’t answer.
Instead, they grabbed his arm.
“Run.”
The voice…
A woman.
Familiar.
Ronan stared.
“No…”
The hood slipped back.
Silver moonlight illuminated pale skin.
Dark hair.
Piercing blue eyes.
Seraphina.
For a heartbeat, neither of them moved.
“You followed me,” Ronan said.
“I could say the same.”
Before either could speak again…
The mountains shook.
A deafening roar echoed through the valley.
Both turned.
The cliff above them cracked.
Thousands of tons of rock broke free.
“It’s a landslide!” Seraphina shouted.
There was nowhere to run.
The mountain was collapsing from both sides.
Without thinking, Ronan wrapped an arm around Seraphina’s waist and threw both of them beneath the mouth of a narrow cave just as the avalanche thundered past.
The world disappeared beneath dust and crashing stone.
Silence followed.
Only their breathing remained.
They were alive.
But trapped.
The cave entrance had been sealed by fallen rock.
Darkness surrounded them.
Seraphina realized she was still pressed against Ronan’s chest.
His heartbeat was fast.
Strong.
She looked up.
Their faces were only inches apart.
For a brief moment, neither moved away.
Neither seemed willing to break the silence.
Then Ronan slowly released her.
“We’re trapped.”
Seraphina nodded, trying to steady her breathing.
“And whoever attacked us…”
She glanced toward the blocked entrance.
“…made sure of it.”
Outside the cave, hidden among the shattered rocks, the masked archer climbed down from the cliff.
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