Ashes of black hollow
801 Words
Smoke still lingered in the air when they arrived.
Liora stood frozen beside Kael at the edge of the ruined village, horror tightening around her chest. Burned homes collapsed into blackened rubble while ash drifted through the cold wind like falling snow.
Black Hollow was gone.
The silence disturbed her most.
No voices.
No movement.
Only death.
Nightfang warriors searched carefully through the destruction while Elias checked for survivors near the center of the village. But judging from the expressions on everyone’s faces, there was little hope left.
Liora swallowed hard. “Who would do this?”
Kael’s expression remained unreadable as his sharp eyes scanned the area.
“This wasn’t a normal attack.”
The ground itself looked wrong.
Dark cracks spread beneath the burned buildings like veins, and strange black markings stained several walls.
Liora stared at them nervously.
“They look familiar.”
Kael looked at her instantly. “From your visions?”
She nodded slowly.
A bad feeling settled over the entire group.
Nyra crouched near one of the destroyed houses and touched the black markings carefully before standing again.
“Shadow magic,” she muttered.
Several warriors looked uneasy.
Liora frowned. “I thought werewolves didn’t use magic.”
“They don’t,” Elias answered quietly as he approached them. “At least… not anymore.”
Kael’s eyes darkened slightly. “The Shadow bloodline did.”
Liora glanced around again.
The destruction no longer looked random.
It looked deliberate.
Like a message.
Then she noticed something near the center of the village square.
A silver symbol carved into the ground.
The crescent moon mark.
Her mark.
Liora’s breathing stopped.
“Kael…”
He followed her gaze instantly.
For the first time since meeting him, real concern crossed his face.
The symbol had been burned directly into the earth using silver fire.
Around it lay several dead wolves.
All positioned like they had been bowing.
Fear crawled into Liora’s chest.
“This is because of me.”
“No,” Kael said immediately.
But deep down, she wasn’t convinced.
A child’s shoe lay near the edge of the symbol, half-covered in ash.
Liora looked away quickly before emotion overwhelmed her.
“This is exactly what I saw in my vision,” she whispered.
Kael stepped closer to the mark carefully.
“There’s more.”
Liora frowned. “What?”
He pointed toward the center of the crescent.
Words had been carved into the ground.
Ancient symbols.
But somehow…
Liora understood them instantly.
Her blood ran cold.
“What does it say?” Nyra asked.
Liora hesitated.
Then quietly answered:
Return the queen to the throne.
Silence followed.
Even the wind seemed to disappear.
Nyra cursed softly under her breath.
Kael’s expression turned deadly cold. “We’re leaving.”
Liora looked at him. “What?”
“Now.”
Before anyone could argue, a distant scream echoed from the forest.
Every warrior immediately became alert.
Another scream followed.
Closer.
Then came growls.
Low.
Inhuman.
The trees surrounding the village suddenly began shaking violently.
Something was moving through them.
Fast.
Kael pulled Liora behind him instantly. “Stay close.”
Dark figures emerged from the forest moments later.
At first, Liora thought they were wolves.
Then she realized they were worse.
Their bodies looked twisted unnaturally, covered in black veins and shadow-like smoke. Their glowing eyes were completely white, and blood stained their mouths.
One of the warriors stepped backward nervously.
“What are those things?”
Elias looked horrified.
“They’re corrupted.”
The creatures growled violently before charging.
Chaos exploded instantly.
Nightfang warriors shifted into wolves while screams and snarls filled the ruined village. One corrupted creature slammed into a warrior hard enough to crush him through a wall.
Liora gasped.
The creature immediately turned toward her.
Its white eyes locked onto hers.
Then it smiled.
Actually smiled.
Fear rooted her in place.
The corrupted wolf lunged directly at her
Kael intercepted it midair.
The impact shattered the ground beneath them.
Kael’s massive black wolf form tore into the creature viciously, but unlike normal wolves, the corrupted beast kept moving even after severe injuries.
Black smoke poured from its wounds.
More creatures poured from the forest.
Too many.
“Fall back!” Nyra shouted.
The corrupted wolves surrounded the village rapidly.
Liora’s heartbeat thundered painfully.
Then one of them spoke.
Its voice sounded broken and distorted.
“The queen…”
Several others repeated it immediately.
“The queen…”
“The queen…”
The words echoed unnaturally through the village.
Liora backed away slowly.
They weren’t attacking her.
They were coming for her.
Suddenly, the crescent mark on her wrist burned brighter than ever before.
Silver light exploded around her body.
The corrupted wolves stopped instantly.
Every creature turned toward her at once.
Then slowly…
They bowed.
- Writer
