Chapter Seven
Annika
“We need to get closer,” Kael whispered.
Before long, we moved through the trees, silent as shadows. My body was weak, my limbs heavier than they should have been, but I forced myself to keep up. Lucas was watching me. I felt his gaze every time I took a breath that was too shallow, every time my steps wavered ever so slightly. But I wouldn’t be the reason we turned back.
The stronghold loomed ahead, a fortress of stone and shadow, nearly invisible against the cliffs. If Kael hadn’t pointed it out, I wouldn’t have seen it at all. Magic clung to it, thick and ancient, the kind that made the air hum against my skin.
I swallowed hard. What is this place?
We crouched behind the thick underbrush. Waiting, watching. There was no movement, no sound. Unease curled in my stomach.
Kael exhaled softly beside me. “Too quiet.”
Lucas nodded. “If they were here, they’re either hiding or already gone.”
I looked back at the stronghold, trying to see past the illusion, past the twisting magic. It was old, much older than the war, older than any ruins I’d ever seen.
“We need to get closer,” Lucas said.
Kael was already moving before the words had fully left his mouth. I started to follow, but Lucas caught my wrist.
I turned to him, my heart hammering in my throat. His fingers tightened just slightly.
“You’re still weak,” he murmured, low enough that only I could hear.
I lifted my chin. “I can handle it.”
He didn’t argue. He only released me, his fingers lingering for a fraction of a second longer than necessary before he turned away.
We crept closer, each step slow and deliberate. The earth beneath us was damp, the air thick with the scent of moss and something metallic. I shuddered. Blood, maybe… though I couldn’t tell if it was old or new.
The entrance to the stronghold was just ahead. And still, nothing. No shifters. No guards. Just silence. Somehow, that was worse.
As we walked inside, I could sense the thickness of the air, grabbing me by the throat. It clung to my skin, heavy and ancient. The stone walls of the stronghold were worn smooth by time yet pulsing with an energy that made my magic stir uneasily beneath my skin. Shadows stretched unnaturally, and the dim torchlight was flickering against carvings I couldn’t quite make out. The place smelled of damp earth, old blood, and decay, as if death itself had settled here and never truly left.
My fingers grazed the stone as I moved forward, the surface unnervingly cold despite the stale heat of the air. My stomach twisted with a heavy thought.
This place was never meant to be found.
Lucas was beside me, silent and watchful. His body tensed, and his senses sharpened. He had his hand on his blade, ready to act if need be. Kael was just ahead, and I wondered if he had been here before.
“This isn’t just a hideout,” I murmured, my voice barely above a whisper. “This place is old.”
Lucas nodded. “And cursed.”
Kael’s fingers brushed against the markings on the walls. “These symbols… They’re not shifter-made.”
I swallowed hard, my magic reacting to the space around me. “No,” I whispered. “They’re not.”
A shiver ran down my spine. I recognized some of them. Not fully, not enough to understand, but enough to fear and enough to know that whatever this place had been built for, it was never meant to be a sanctuary. It was meant to be a prison.
Lucas caught my hesitation, reacting immediately. “What is it?”
I hesitated. “I don’t know. Not yet.”
Then, I saw it.
I could have missed it so easily. Just a small, tattered blanket. A blanket for a child. My child.
It lay crumpled in the corner of the damp stone cell. My breath caught as I reached for it, my hands shaking. The second I lifted it, the scent hit me. It was faint, but undeniable.
“Aiden…” I whispered, feeling a tidal wave of pain wash over me. My vision blurred and my entire body trembled as I clutched the blanket to my chest. “He was here…”
Lucas crouched beside me. “Annika?” His voice was low, wary.
I didn’t need to look at him to know his expression was carved from stone, his fury barely contained beneath the surface. But I couldn’t focus on that. I could only breathe in Aiden’s scent, desperate to hold on to the proof that he was alive.
“He was here,” I whispered, my voice on the verge of breaking “Not long ago.”
Kael shifted behind us. “Then we’re close.”
Lucas exhaled sharply, his fists clenching at his sides. “They didn’t kill him,” he muttered. “Which means they need him alive.”
A fresh wave of panic threatened to take hold, but I pushed it down. I wiped at my eyes, my grip tightening on the fabric.
I tore my gaze away from the small blanket, my heart pounding as I pushed to my feet. “Where are they?” My voice came out unsteady, but my grip on the fabric was iron-tight.
“Gone.” I knew Lucas was right. If anyone was here, they’d have attacked us by now.
Kael prowled toward the far wall. “They cleared out fast.”
The realization sent ice through my veins. They had known we were coming, so they had already moved Aiden before we ever set foot in this cursed place.
I turned in a slow circle, searching for something that could tell us where they had gone. But the chamber was silent.
I took a step forward, and then the world beneath me gave way. I barely had time to gasp before the wooden floor cracked, and the rotting planks splintered under my weight. A single heartbeat later and I was falling.
It all happened in the blink of an eye. I hit the ground hard and fast.
The air was knocked from my lungs as I landed in a heap of dust and debris. For a moment, all I could do was lie there, gasping, with my heart pounding wildly in my chest.
Above me, Lucas’ voice echoed in raw panic. “Annika!”
I coughed and almost retched, as the thick scent of mold and damp stone filled my nose. My arms trembled as I pushed myself upright, blinking rapidly to adjust to the dimness. The fall hadn’t been far, but it had been unexpected. It left me completely shaken.
“I’m okay!” I remembered to shout back, knowing they both must be worried sick.
I could hear movement above, the scrape of boots against stone as Lucas and Kael searched for a way down. But I barely registered it, because the moment I looked around, I was overwhelmed by goosebumps.
The cellar was vast and cavernous, far larger than I expected. The walls were lined with rusted chains and shackles, some broken, some still bolted into the stone. Dark stains marred the ground, and though I didn’t want to think about what they were, I knew.
This wasn’t just a storage space. It was a prison.
A shiver ran down my spine. I tightened my grip on Aiden’s blanket, forcing myself to focus. If the shifters had used this place to hold prisoners, then maybe there was something left behind. A clue, a trace of magic, anything that could help us find Aiden.
I staggered to my feet, my body still weak from earlier, but I ignored it. My magic stirred sluggishly inside me, sensing the lingering energy in this place.
Then, from the shadows, something moved.
I suffocated a gasp, forcing myself to breathe. I sensed another shift in the darkness. My stomach clenched. I reached for the dagger strapped to my thigh, and my fingers curled around the worn hilt.
More movement.
I snapped toward it, my magic surging as I braced for a fight. That was when a tiny blur of fur and claws darted into the dim light, revealing itself only for a moment, then scurried across the stone floor.
“A damn rat,” I whispered to myself with relief.
My shoulders sagged as the tension drained from my muscles. I let go of the dagger, running a hand over my face.
Above me, I could hear the scuffle of boots against stone. Then, a loud thud.
“Annika?” Lucas called out to me.
A second later, he dropped into the cellar, landing effortlessly beside me. Kael followed far less gracefully, but with equal determination.
Lucas’ eyes traversed every inch of me before asking, “Are you hurt?”
I shook my head. “I’m fine. Just… startled.”
Kael glanced around. “This place is vile.” His fingers trailed over a rusted shackle bolted to the wall. “Whatever they did here… it wasn’t meant to be found.”
Lucas exhaled sharply, his body still tense just like mine. “We need to move. The shifters left in a hurry. Maybe there’s something here they didn’t have time to destroy.”
I met his gaze. “Then let's find it.”
The deeper we searched, the worse the feeling in my gut became. Lucas and Kael combed through the abandoned cellar, leaving no stone unturned. I did the same, running my fingers over the damp stone walls, searching for any markings, any traces of magic or blood sigils that might tell us what had happened here.
Then I saw it.
A rough wooden table pushed against the farthest wall was nearly hidden by the shadows. It was covered in scattered scrolls, brittle parchment curled at the edges, and a thick, leather-bound tome with a broken spine.
I stepped closer, my pulse quickening as I reached for the book. Dust and grime coated the cover, but beneath it, I could just barely make out the faded symbol burned into the leather. A rune… one I didn’t recognize.
“Lucas,” I called out.
He was beside me in an instant, Kael just behind him.
I flipped the book open, and realized that some of the pages were missing. Someone had torn them out, leaving behind the rest. I could still make out some of the writing. The ink had faded in places, but the meaning was clear. It wasn’t a resurrection ritual. Not a summoning. It was a transformation.
Lucas stiffened beside me as we read the passage together. The ritual described was meant to turn a mortal into something more, something unnatural.
“Immortality,” Kael muttered in shock.
My throat tightened. “They're not trying to awaken anyone this time,” I whispered in disbelief. “They're trying to create someone new.”
I could see Lucas’ entire body tense up, his eyes surveying the text again, as if hoping that we misread it the first time.
“But who?” he finally asked. “Who are we fighting this time?”
I shook my head, unease settling deep in my bones.
Lucas turned another page, his movements sharp and almost desperate. The brittle parchment crackled under his fingers as his eyes scanned the text. I could feel the tension radiating from him, I could hear the way his breathing changed.
Kael leaned over the table. “Whoever they’re trying to transform… they want them to be unstoppable.”
I swallowed hard, my fingers gripping the edges of the book as I forced myself to focus on the words. Some of it was written in an old dialect, one I barely understood, but I could piece together enough to know this wasn’t an ordinary spell.
“This is ancient magic,” I whispered. “Dark. Dangerous.” My gaze flicked to Lucas. I could feel my stomach twisting into a knot of nausea. “This isn’t something shifters would normally be capable of. They must have outside help.”
His expression darkened. “Rowena?”
I shook my head immediately. “No. She would never.”
Lucas exhaled sharply, dragging a hand through his hair. I could see the war raging inside him, the way the same questions were eating him up alive.
Who was behind this?
Why take Aiden?
And who was meant to undergo this transformation?