Under Crimson Rain (Book Two)

Above us, the sky was a battlefield. The red and silver moons hung suspended in an uneasy truce, dominated by the broken Black Moon. Its shattered face loomed, casting a cursed, shadow that seemed to drink the light from the world. The forest did not sway; it shivered. Ancient trees groaned with a rhythm that felt deeply, intrinsically wrong. The chitterwings, usually a comforting, background hum, had been silenced. In their place were wet, tearing sounds echoing from the deep dark, and distant screeches that vibrated through the marrow of my bones. The air tasted of ozone and old rot. I watched the group I had been forced to join. They marched with the heavy-footed arrogance of soldiers, oblivious to the way the darkness curled around their boots. I let my pace falter, drifting back until the shadows accepted me as one of their own. I watched black miasma dance around their ankles, a spectral smoke unseen by their eyes, tasting them. My hand bypassed the heavy, clumsy sword strapped to my hip and found the dagger on my thigh. The leather grip was warm, a familiar comfort in a world gone cold. I am not a curse, I whispered in the silence of my mind. I am the thing that sees the truth. A sharp crack of dry wood echoed to the right. The group froze instantly. The hiss of steel sliding from leather sheaths filled the silence as muscles coiled tight. Even the wind seemed to hold its breath. A bush rustled, shaking violently. I stepped back, putting three feet of dead air between myself and the inevitable violence. Out popped a creature—small, plump, with soft fur, round ears, and a puff-ball tail. Its bright eyes blinked innocently, reflecting the silver moonlight. "A Puff Whisp," Jax said, the tension leaving his shoulders in a rush. A nervous, watery chuckle rippled through the men. "By the moons. Let's focus. We need to make it to town before the real creatures find us." They turned to move, their guard dropping with fatal predictability. But my feet remained rooted to the earth. Heavy, rhythmic thuds were drawing closer, vibrating up through the soles of my boots. Mirele noticed first. Her fiery red hair caught the moonlight like a beacon as she whipped her sword around in a blur. "I will handle this," she announced, stepping forward. But the shadows didn't just part; they were torn. A Crescent Moon Walker stepped through the veil. Its fur was the color of the void, rippling in an angry wind that didn't touch the trees. Its hungry, glowing green eyes locked onto the group, burning with predatory intelligence. The beast gathered itself, its growl vibrating like deep earth quaking, and struck—a sudden, airborne shadow of muscle and claw crashing down. Mirele didn't flinch. She was a Glimcoil gliding through a pit of rats—smooth, lethal, and untouched. She sidestepped, spinning with the beast's momentum, and drove a vicious upward cut that defied gravity. The blade sang, slicing the creature's head clean off. The lifeless body hit the forest floor with a heavy, wet thud, followed a second later by the head. She wiped her blade on the grass with a flourish, seeking applause. "I told you I could handle it." "We never doubted it," Jax replied, though his voice was tight, his eyes darting to the tree line. Mirele quickened her step to rejoin the others, adrenaline masking her fear. Good. They weren't paying attention to me. I let myself drift two more paces behind. Moving on the ground is suicide, I thought, scanning the darkness where the light didn't reach. The attacks won't stop. That was just the scout. As if answering my thought, a shadow near a massive oak shifted. It was hunched low, a pile of rags and darkness, but as my hand flew to my dagger, the thing began to rise. Its spine uncurled, snapping and popping with the sickening sound of breaking bone as it stood to an unnatural, towering height. Giant claws dragged by its sides. Its eyes snapped open, burning like bright red embers in a kiln. Nyxraith. The name echoed in my head. A deafening screech ripped through the woods, exposing a mouth full of jagged, needle-thin teeth. I watched the blood drain from the others' faces, turning them distinct shades of grey. A dark amusement curled in my chest. "Everyone form up!" Jax yelled, his voice cracking over the chaos. The Nyxraith moved. It was a blur, faster than anything that size had a right to be. Its claws punched through one of the women’s chests before she could even raise her shield; jaws tore into her arm before flinging her body aside like a broken doll. Mirele squared up to the beast, her form perfect. The creature didn't wait—it struck from above, bringing its claws down like a hammer. Mirele’s reaction was instantaneous. Her sword snapped upward, the steel edge meeting the Nyxraith’s palms with a sickening crunch. The impact jarred the beast, making it scream in agony as it scrambled back. I didn't stay to watch. There will be more. I shifted my weight and bolted. I ran towards survival. I vaulted a large tree root, putting the chaos behind me. Then I heard it. The near-silent shift of air pressure behind me. Not a sound, but a displacement. One followed. Let it. I unsheathed my blade and dropped flat to the forest floor. Razor-sharp claws slashed the air where my head had been a microsecond before. The wind of the swipe ruffled my hair. Predictable. Coiling my muscles, I exploded upward. I thrust. My dagger found its mark, driving deep into the soft, unarmored tissue under the creature's chin. Hot black ichor sprayed over my hand. I ripped the blade free and buried it again, this time slamming it into the creature's chest, seeking the heart. The red embers in its eyes flickered and died. The monster stumbled back, collapsing against a pile of rocks with a groan of escaping air. I wiped my blade clean and stowed it. Eyes darting upward, I found a low branch, jumped, and hauled myself into the rough embrace of the wood. Below, creatures screeched and men died, but up here, I was a ghost moving through the canopy. My heart skipped. A spike of adrenaline ran through my veins. A smile of pure, unadulterated joy tugged at my lips. I had missed this. The rhythm of the hunt. Each jump, each silent landing, each breath synced with the wind. As the trees thinned near the hill’s peak, the world opened up. In the distance, the broken, shattered spires of the town stuck up like jagged stilettos against the purple sky. I dropped from the canopy, landing in a crouch, fingers grazing the soft earth to absorb the impact. There it was. A massive stone resting at the bottom of the incline, older than the ruins around it. The lone boulder, I reminded myself. Ondina promised she would hide it beneath the Great Stone. I scanned the shadows. Nothing but the wind. Just the familiar, safe sound of chitterwings returning to the air. Moving with silent footfalls, I reached the hollow behind the stone. I bent down, hands brushing away dead leaves until they found the leather of the quivers. One went to my back, the other to my belt. I unclipped the heavy sword I had been forced to carry. The symbol of my captivity, and let it fall. It hit the dirt with a dull thud. Immediately, the heavy weight on my chest vanished. My hands found the bow. As I lifted it, the smooth wood warming to my touch, a deep, aching longing was finally satisfied. It wasn't just a weapon; it was a lost limb returned to me. I slung it over my shoulder, feeling the string hum against my armor. Then, I reached up and tore the red ribbon from my hair. The wind whipped it from my fingers, carrying it off into the dark like a drop of blood in the ocean. I watched the last stain of Ruslan disappear. My hand instinctively tightened around the grip of my bow. With every step toward the peak, determination hardened my spirit like tempered steel. This is the first step, I told myself. The time has finally come. First freedom and a return to Luminthera. Then... we burn the Ashen Vow to the ground. The ruined city loomed ahead, a skeleton of a civilization long dead. Without the canopy, the wind bit harder, raising goosebumps on my arms. A warning twisted deep in my gut, a hunter's instinct screaming that something was wrong, but it vanished the moment I saw him. Aurenoxious. His obsidian scales drank in the moonlight, glittering like a field of black diamonds. He lay with his head on the ground, eyes closed, his breathing shallow. He was bound by massive iron chains meant for warships, the links etched with suppressing runes. The Vow is arrogant to think they can control a dragon, I thought, my lip curling. But we end this tonight. Ondina was already there. Her long blonde braid swayed near the dirt as she leaned in, resting her forehead against the dragon's massive snout in a gesture of pure intimacy. Then, movement. A shadow detached itself from the darkness of a shattered wall. It wasn't a beast; it was human. The red moonlight glinted off twin daggers as the figure prowled toward Ondina's exposed back. I didn't hesitate. I didn't think. I swung my bow from my shoulder in one fluid motion. I nocked an arrow, the fletching brushing my ear as I drew the string tight against my cheek, the world narrowing down to a single point of focus. The figure moved with fluid, lethal grace, daggers shifting into a striking stance. As Ondina turned, oblivious to the steel catching the moonlight behind her, I let the tension in my bowstring dictate fate. ​I released. ​The arrow hissed through the dark, burying itself in the stranger’s chest. The daggers clattered to the dirt, the sound harsh against the quiet, as the figure slumped forward. Hands scrabbled at the air, barely breaking the fall. ​Ondina's eyes widening in a mask of horror. ​I surged forward, boots tearing into the earth, only to skid to a halt as the moonlight revealed a spill of blonde hair. Blood was already blooming across her shirt, trickling onto the soil. I froze, my grip on the bow tightening. ​Her hazel eyes met mine, glassy and losing their light. ​Celia. ​"You will..." she rasped, the words bubbling up through her throat. Her voice cracked, desperate for air that wouldn't come. "...regret this." ​A cold numbness washed over me. I knew I couldn’t save her; I had aimed for the heart. She would have killed Ondina, I told myself, the thought a mantra against the rising tide of bile. ​I took a shaky breath, the air tasting of copper. "Celia, I will not." I paused, my voice trembling as it threatened to break. "The only thing I regret..." ​The words died in my throat. Is having to hurt you, I finished in the silence of my mind, too scared to whisper it into the encroaching night. ​She coughed, blood frothing at her lips. The muscles in her arms seized, trembling violently before going slack. "Rus—" The name was cut short. She collapsed, the light vanishing from her eyes as her head lolled to the side. ​I felt Ondina’s presence beside me, a true warmth in the cold. "You did what you had to," she whispered, her voice heavy with shared burden. ​I slung my bow over my shoulder and knelt in the dirt. "I know." With a trembling hand, I reached out, brushing a stray lock of hair from Celia's forehead and closing her eyelids. It felt final. "I am sorry. Rest in peace. Your fight is over." ​"Once Ruslan knows... he will not stop hunting you, Alanah." ​I rose to my feet, though my gaze remained fixed to the body. "No matter what, he will hunt me. You know that." I looked up. "He will want revenge." ​"True." ​I finally tore my eyes away, looking into the dark canopy above. A cold resolve settled in my chest, displacing the grief. "And I welcome him to try." ​But as I looked back down, my heart throbbed—a dull, aching bruise. No matter who she was, a life had been extinguished by my hand. This won't be the last, the wind seemed to whisper. This is only the first. ​My hand balled into a tight fist. When I finally met Ondina’s gaze, her worry was a tangible thing. She placed a hand on my shoulder, grounding me. ​"We need to keep moving," I said, shoving the emotions into a dark corner of my mind to deal with later. "If Celia is here, it means others may be close behind." ​Ondina nodded, shifting her attention back to Aurenoxious. The creature's eyes were fixed on me, ancient, intelligent, and searching. It was as if he could taste the grief radiating off me. ​A wistful, broken smirk tugged at my lips. "Let's get you away from them." ​His body was a ruin of scales and blood, a testament to the cruelty he had endured. I just hope he can fly... no, he has to. ​Ondina and I grabbed the first heavy metal stake piercing his foot. "At least they are smaller than the standard ones," I muttered, gripping the cold, slick metal. "Or this would be impossible." ​A low, anguish-filled moan vibrated from the creature’s throat as we pulled. My muscles screamed, quivering under the strain. Slowly, agonizingly, the stake began to slide from his flesh with a wet suction, until it pulled free and clattered to the stones. ​I immediately looked to his other foot, expecting another iron spike, but found nothing. ​Ondina caught my confusion. "They have broken him enough that they didn't think he would attempt to run," she said grimly. "We just need to unlock the rest of the chains on his body." ​We worked frantically. As the first chain gave way, I exhaled, my eyes snapping to the treeline. Silence. Too quiet for a Cursed Moon. "We need to move faster, Ondina." ​We dashed to the next lock. Only one remained. At the final shackle, the damage to his body was undeniable; he was battered, scales torn away to reveal raw flesh. He can't carry us out of here, panic spiked in my chest. Let alone fight. ​A scream echoed through the woods. Inhuman and piercing. Scattering the chitterwings from the canopy. ​"We are out of time." ​Ondina freed the last chain. Aurenoxious moaned, his body trembling as he forced himself to stand. His massive wings slowly unfurled, testing the air, then tucked close. He bent his great head toward Ondina, and she raised her hands, resting her forehead against his snout in a moment of silent communication. ​"We can't come with you," she whispered, her voice cracking. "You need to do this alone." ​He let out a huff, a low groan that vibrated through the ground and into the marrow of my bones. ​"This isn't goodbye, Aurenoxious. This is we will see you later. I promise." ​The monster cries erupted again, a discordant chorus of too many voices. This isn't normal. I spun around. The miasma was heavy, pouring from the forest floor like a sentient tide of fog. ​"Ondina, we need to move now!" ​It's impossible to go back down, I realized, gauging the terrain. We have to move further up. ​I snapped my attention back to her. Tears streamed down her face, glistening in the gloom, but Aurenoxious was already moving. ​He groaned, a deep rumble in his chest, and spread his wings wide. The sound was deafening, like a ship’s sail snapping. As he pumped them once, the resulting downdraft flattened the surrounding brush. I had to dig my boots into the dirt and shield my eyes as pebbles and debris became shrapnel. ​With a tortured roar, he launched into the air. Nearby saplings snapped in half under the sheer force of his wake. His body tilted dangerously, blocking out the moonlight, every beat of his massive wings a violent struggle against gravity and pain. ​Screams ripped through the woods, closer now. "Ondina, come on!" ​She turned, her sorrow instantly replaced by focus. She shifted into a combat stance, daggers drawn. The first monsters broke through the treeline. They were shadows woven into solid form—small, scaly things that were almost invisible, except for the way the air rippled around them like heat haze, revealing their jagged outlines. Four arms, tipped with razor claws, hung at their sides. ​Skulkings. ​My bow was drawn, an arrow already nocked, but my fingers betrayed me. For a split second, a tremor ran through my hand, the bowstring slick against my skin. I blinked, forcing Celia's dying hazel eyes out of my vision and replacing them with the distortion of the monster. ​Breathe, I commanded my shaking limbs. Kill. ​I let it fly at the first one, aiming straight for the distortion in the air. Before the arrow even struck, I had the next one nocked and released. The first slammed into an eye; the second pierced a chest. ​Ondina was already weaving through the ruins of the town; I trailed close behind, walking backward, covering our retreat. ​Only three more. As they skittered closer, I fired again. The arrow punched through a Skulking's head, the force sending it tumbling backward into the one behind it, a tangle of limbs and screeching noise. ​I turned and broke into a sprint, catching up to Ondina to put distance between us and the pack. ​Ondina slid across the dirt, braking hard as a Nyxraith materialized from the shadows, blocking our path. She sprang up from her crouch, her blade flashing as she severed one of its arms. ​It screeched in agony. Ondina seized the opening. She drew her daggers tight against her chest, then slashed violently outward in a cross-cut, opening the beast's chest with a single, deep stroke. ​Then came another. I nocked an arrow, drawing the fletching to my cheek in one smooth motion. I released, and the shaft struck true into its ember-glow eye. The creature stumbled back before collapsing lifelessly. ​We pressed on, a blur of steel and arrows, cutting down the monsters in our path until the night finally fell still. The roar of the water rushing in the river below seemed to grow louder, filling the void left by the battle. ​"Ondina," I panted, lungs burning. "Did they know?" ​Her eyes snapped to mine, wide with adrenaline. "I don't know." She shook her head. "If they knew everything, they never would have let us release Aurenoxious." ​"No, but Celia appeared..." A dark thought crossed my mind, chilling me more than the night air. "Could she have sent them a message before she tried to attack you?" ​Ondina’s expression hardened. "It is possible." ​My gaze locked onto a shadow emerging from the darkness, climbing the hill with deliberate slowness. My muscles coiled, ready to strike. ​"I see you picked up the bow again." ​The voice was deep and heavy, ringing out through the clearing—bitter, controlling, and terrifyingly familiar. ────◯ ☽ ◑ ● ◐ ❨ ◯──── A Note From Kali: ​Hello readers, I just wanted to take a moment and say thank you so much for being a part of this journey and following Alanah in book two. I truly appreciate all feedback. As I have said before, I still plan to self-publish this series, but I want you here through each step of the way. I hope you're excited to see what happens next. I'd love to hear all your theories and thoughts! ​If you'd like to follow along for more behind the scenes and exclusive content, make sure you join the F/B group: Cozy Pages With Kali Rae. Thank you all again, and I truly hope you enjoy this story. I've poured everything I have into this. ​~Kali Rae