"Get down!" Lysander yanked Selene behind a fallen log as a blast of blue fire burned the spot where they'd stood seconds before.
They'd been running for hours. Dawn crept through the trees, but brought no safety. The strange creatures hunting them shadow dogs, Lysander called them had vanished with the night. But now something worse tracked them. Syndicate wizards. "They never send mages unless it's important," Lysander whispered, his golden-hazel eyes searching the misty forest.
"Someone high up must want you badly." Selene's body ached. The cut on her arm had stopped bleeding, but her muscles screamed from the night's chase. She clutched the silver knife Lysander had given her.
"Why are you helping me?" she asked, studying his face. The strange feeling of recognition still buzzed between them like lightning. Lysander's jaw stiffened. "I don't know. When they told me to kill you, something felt... wrong. I've been having dreams. Memories, maybe." He shook his head. "We need to move. The mages are circling back."
A scream pierced the morning airhigh and young. Not the hunts. Selene froze. "Someone else is out here." "Not our problem," Lysander said strongly. "We need to" Selene was already moving, darting through the trees toward the sound. She heard Lysander curse behind her, then his footsteps following. Through a gap in the bushes, Selene spotted them.
Three Syndicate hunters circling a girl with bright red curly hair. The girl couldn't be more than nineteen. Her hands glowed green with magic as she backed against a huge oak tree. A witch. And a young one.
"Just come quietly," one shooter said, reaching for the girl. "Lord Vex only wants your power, not your life." "Stay away!" the witch cried, flinging green energy that fizzled poorly against the hunter's protective amulet. Without thinking, Selene burst from the trees. The silver knife flashed in her hand as she slashed at the nearest hunter. He howled, stumbling back with a cut across his arm.
"Run!" Selene shouted to the girl. The young witch stared, wide-eyed with shock. Her green eyes locked with Selene's silver ones, and something passed between thema spark of recognition, like with Lysander but different. Before Selene could process this, the other hunters attacked.
One grabbed her from behind while another drew a blade. Suddenly, Lysander was there. His own daggers flashed as he attacked the armed hunter
"I told you to wait!" he growled at Selene. The hunter holding Selene squeezed tighter, cutting off her air. Black spots danced in her view. In desperation, she reached for the power that always stayed locked inside her. To her shock, warmth flooded her veins.
Her eyes burned, and the hunter screamed, freeing her as his hands blistered. The young witch took advantage of the chaos. With a shout, she slammed her hands against the ground. Roots burst from the ground, wrapping around the hunters' ankles.
"This way!" the witch called, taking Selene's hand. A jolt passed between them at the touch. Together, the three of them ran deeper into the forest, the shouts of the hunters fading behind them. They didn't stop until they reached a small stream, where they fell, gasping for breath.
"I'm Elara," the witch panted, pushing her wild red curls from her face. "Elara Moonfall. And you just saved my life." "I'm Selene. This is Lysander." Selene studied the girl curiously. "Why are the Syndicate hunting you?" Elara's face darkened. "They take young witches for their magic. Drain us dry for their rites." She paused.
"But you... you're different. Your eyes..." She leaned closer. "Are you really a Ruby Wolf? I thought they were all dead." Lysander stiffened.
"How do you know what she is?" "Witch, remember?" Elara tapped her skull. "We see things others can't. The ruby glow in her aura is obvious. My grandmother used to tell stories about your kind." A twig snapped nearby. All three froze.
"They're still coming," Lysander whispered. "We need somewhere safe." Elara bit her lip, then nodded. "I know a place. A hidden house. But it's deep in the forest." "Lead the way," Selene said. As they traveled, Selene noticed Elara watching her with curious looks. The young witch seemed both fascinated and afraid.
"Why did you help me back there?" Elara finally asked. "Most people run from Syndicate hunters, not toward them." Selene shrugged. "I know what it's like to be hunted." Lysander walked ahead, keeping watch. His shoulders were stiff. "He doesn't trust me," Elara whispered to Selene.
"He doesn't trust anyone," Selene responded. "Neither do I, usually." Elara smiled, showing a dimple in her freckled cheek. "Yet you risked your life for a stranger." She reached for Selene's hand again. That same strange jolt passed between them.
"Maybe we're not strangers after all." After an hour of walking, they came to a small area hidden by a curtain of willow branches. Elara pushed through, showing a tiny cottage nestled among ancient trees. It looked abandoned, with moss growing up the stone walls. "My teacher's place," Elara explained. "She's gone now, but her protection spells still work." Inside, the cottage was fairly cozy.
A small fireplace, a table with chairs, and shelves lined with jars of flowers and potions. "We should be safe here for now," Elara said, lighting the fire with a wave of her hand. Green flames crackled to life, casting green light across the room. Lysander checked the windows, securing shutters.
"For now isn't good enough. The Syndicate won't give up." Selene sank into a chair, tiredness washing over her. For months she'd been running, hiding, living. Always alone. Now suddenly there were two people risking everything to help her.
"Why does the Syndicate want you so badly?" Elara asked, making a potion at the table. Selene touched her ruby pendant. "My blood. My power. Though I can barely use it."
"What happened back there?" Lysander stopped. "When that hunter grabbed you. Your eyes glowed, and his hands burned." Selene shook her head, confused. "I don't know. That's never happened before."
Elara brought a cup of steaming drink to Selene. "Drink this. It will help your arm heal." As Selene drank the sweet liquid, warmth spread through her body. The cut on her arm tingled, the skin joining together. "Amazing," she murmured. Elara smiled with pride. "Basic healing power. My specialty." Her smile faded.
"Though that's why the Syndicate wants me. Healing witches are rare." Night fell as they talked. Elara made a simple meal while Lysander kept watch at the window. The more time Selene spent with the young witch, the stronger the strange relationship between them felt.
"You seem familiar," Selene admitted. "Like I should know you." Elara nodded eagerly. "I feel it too! Like we're" A howl cut through the night, making them all freeze. Not a cat. One of the shadow dogs.
"They found us," Lysander said sadly. "The protection spells aren't working." "That's impossible," Elara whispered, fear in her eyes.
"Unless..." "Unless what?" Selene demanded. "Unless they have something that belongs to one of us. Blood, hair..." Elara looked up, face pale. "Or someone who shares your blood." Before Selene could answer, a voice called from outside the cottage.
"Ruby Wolf. Come out now, and perhaps we'll spare your friends." Selene's blood turned to ice. She knew that voicecold, cruel, familiar from her dreams. Lysander gripped his knives.
"Who is that?" "Lady Ravena," Elara whispered, shivering. "The Syndicate's most feared commander." But Selene barely heard her. She was looking through a crack in the shutters at the woman standing in the moonlight. Tall and royal, with flowing ruby-red hair and cold blue eyes.
"No," Selene breathed, her world tilting. "It can't be." "What is it?" Elara asked, touching Selene's arm. "Do you know her?" Selene couldn't speak.
Her throat closed with shock and denial. The pendant around her neck burned against her skin as she stared at the woman she'd believed dead for fifteen years.
"Mother," she whispered. Elara gasped. Lysander cursed. Outside, shadow dogs prowled around the cottage, their red eyes glowing in the darkness. Lady Ravena's voice came again, chilling and patient.
"Time to come home, daughter. We have so much to talk about your destiny." Selene gripped the table as her legs threatened to give way. Her mother was living. Her mother was with the Syndicate. Her mother had been hunting her.
"What do we do?" Elara whispered, holding Selene's arm.
For once, Selene had no plan. No exit route. Just the terrible knowledge that the woman who had once loved her now wanted to capture heror worse.
And somehow, deep inside, Selene knew this was only the beginning of the secrets waiting to be discovered.