Chapter 5
The before, before.
ATREUS GRAVES
This has been the harshest winter. My fingers frozen to the bone, as I work tirelessly on building our camp.
Our village. My Lucy, she calls it Evigheden.
It means eternity. An eternity of what? Cold?
Darkness? I have suffered much, and I am grateful for my release…
But I fear for the things that still lurk in the dark.
There are monsters in these woods. Devils. Like the Four Horsemen, with whom we share our fire. Whom share Lucy’s sister. Monsters like the one who held me captive for years. And so that is why I’ve brought everyone together tonight.
On our first Yule, free from the Wild Hunt with our new friends and neighbors, I have called for a meeting of souls. For we cannot let this happen to anyone ever again.
I look around at sweat-streaked faces paired with bodies exhausted from a hard day’s work.
And some whose fingers are still bloody from the labor.
We are under a fragile protection. While the Four Horsemen have sworn fealty to Imogen Bishop and her family, their loyalty to us is contingent upon our complacency and obedience.
A man should never put all his trust in false gods. There are nights like these, moments like this, where you must rise up and make a pact to protect yourself and those you care about. For all we have is each other.
My closest confidants—Cage Blackwell and Vale Wickford—flank me on either side.
We survived the horrors together. And we share in its spoils.
Lucy belongs to the three of us. She loves us the same, and we love her more.
If it weren’t for her… we wouldn’t be standing here.
So I motion for her to join us in the center.
Marked and protected by ancient runes, the Circle is our sacred altar for prayer and gratitude. But tonight it will also become our platform. Our stage where we shall announce our plans to claim a primal power that will change everything.
Lucy clasps my hand in hers and gives me a smile of encouragement. “Go on, Atreus. Let our people know how we will protect them.”
Smoke billows out from the torches, casting monstrous shadows as the flames flicker in the wind. The cold is biting. It slaps my face, stinging my cheeks and robbing my lips of moisture.
I meet each of their gazes head-on, reassuring them with my quiet strength.
From the Harkers to the Cranes, who will soon join bloodlines when Enzo takes Willa for his bride, to the Thorns, the remaining Blackwells, Wickfords, and Bishops—Imogen with her horsemen, and of course, what’s left of my family, the Graves.
We are the last families of Evigheden, the village that once burned at the hands of Krampus, now reborn and rising again under a new pact.
“Thank you all for coming. I know the wind chills to the bone, and our bellies growl at us. But I promise a feast worthy of the great celestial halls after.” My tongue feels like a heavy weight in my mouth.
My nerves threatening to get the better of me.
But I’m met with a chorus of encouragement from my fellow villagers.
Cage clasps my shoulder in solidarity while Vale wraps a protective arm around Lucy. Together, the four of us are fierce in our loyalty to each other. After what we’ve been through in the North…
I clear my throat. “I know you are tired of living in fear. As are we. Sick to death of being forced into sacrifice that gives nothing in return. How many of you have lost a daughter? A sister? A lover even? All to the Wild Hunt.” I cautiously glance at the horsemen for fear I’ve offended them.
But their expressions remain stoic, unreadable.
And their hands remain on their queen, Imogen Bishop.
Another onslaught of nods and mumbles of those in agreement ring out. We have all lost so much. No more.
“Thanks to the Bishop sisters, the Wild Hunt is over for good. At least it is here in these lands. But the reign of monsters hasn’t ended.
They watch and lurk and wait for us to slip up.
They plot and bide their time, hoping to tempt us with evil and sin.
They are likely nearing us now, watching us at this very moment.
” I almost lose them, their faces pale. They begin to look around at each other.
I hold up my hands. “Do not be afraid!”
The horsemen stand, and each takes a corner—North, South, East, and West—their hands on their swords. War, Famine, Death, and Conquest know better than anyone who lingers in these woods.
“What can we do?” Willa Harker’s cry breaks through the hushed whispers. The ache in her voice goes unnoticed by everyone except for me. And by the way Enzo shields her, the way she holds tight to her belly, I know in my gut that she’s had her own battle with monsters.
“Tonight, an order will be born. A coven of true believers. Those who wish to pledge an oath will be protected forever from those who dare to do us harm. Your bloodlines will be protected, those both current and future. Forever.” Sweat beads over my brow as the flames chase away the cold. Or perhaps it’s adrenaline.
“But how?” Astrid Thorn asks. “With what sorcery? We are simple farmers and botanists.”
I nod, prepared for all their curiosities as I once shared them.
Until I wandered far into the forest one fateful night.
When I answered the call. “We shall make one last sacrifice, an oath if you will. And in return, we shall be gifted great power. We will no longer be weak against the darkness. For we will hold the darkness within us. We will rule it, wield it, and bend it to our will.”
“Who, Atreus? Tell us to whom we must make this sacrifice.” Willa’s voice is steady now, her gaze fierce. Yes. She knows more about monsters than anyone here.
The others echo her question with their own cries of “hear, hear” and “tell us.”
Lucy holds tight to my hand. She whispers, “Show them, Atreus.”
I hold up the blade that’s been weighing heavy in my coat pocket.
“Follow me to the Wishing Tree, and we shall set his ravens free. We shall worship them, and in return, they will feed us power. We’ll have the strength to fight many monsters.
No one will steal away our kin from their beds ever again. ”
Willa steps forward, her arms shaking. “Who, Atreus?” she yells. “Who controls the ravens? Who are you asking us to sell our souls to?”
I came prepared for outbursts. For doubts. I almost didn’t believe him myself. But he showed me great things. I felt his power, his seduction. And I knew in that moment I would pledge. If I could have even a smidgen of what he possesses… my gods.
“He has many names. Many faces. It does not matter what we call him. He has made us an offering. A bargain. And I have accepted.” I turn my palm toward them, showing them the jagged scar that adorns it. “I have given my blood to the Wishing Tree.”
“As have I,” Cage Blackwell cries out.
“And I.” Vale Wickford thrusts his hand up, showing his scarred palm.
Willa’s nostrils flare. Her chest heaves. “And what of her?” She points to Lucy. “Show us your hand.”
But Imogen rises instead. She crosses the Circle to face Willa. “Bishop women have their own curses. Now quit pointing at my sister and sit down.”
A visible shudder rolls through the dark-haired beauty. She shrinks back and wraps a protective arm around her belly. “And what if I don’t do it?”
“Mi amor, please… sit,” Enzo pleads with her. She does, but her expectant gaze falls on me.
I offer a tight but warm smile. “No one is being forced to join, Miss Harker. But you will be asked to leave if you don’t comply in some way. We cannot have anyone we don’t trust living among us. I’m sure you understand. We will, however, send you with a full month’s ration for your journey.”
Her gaze darkens, and she snickers, knowing full well that she’s in no condition to travel. For a baby grows inside her belly.
“We will stay, Atreus. Please, forgive us. It has been a trying winter,” Enzo adds.
I nod. “Of course, my friend.” I turn back to the others. There are no more questions. Willa’s outburst answered them all. They will stay and pledge an oath or leave tonight. That is the deal. The new world order.
I make them follow us to the Wishing Tree. One by one, they cut their palms with the raven’s blade. They mark the bark with their blood and repeat our sacred oaths.
Mors vincit omnia. Death always wins. And so we will be sure to never play with it.
Mors tua, vita mea. Your death, my life. Our sacrifices will not be made in vain. We will choose each other. Protect each other.
In absentia lucis, tenebrae vincunt. In the absence of light, darkness prevails. And in that shade lies a power unlike any other. We shall possess it, wield it, and transform it.
Willa Harker is the last one left. She glares at the tree like it is her mortal enemy. “I have already given him enough.”
I close my eyes and finally understand. “Very well. But Enzo must pledge.”
And he does. He has to pry Willa’s hands off him first though. She didn’t want this for him. But what she doesn’t understand is how much stronger he will be for her and her baby.
At last, I turn and face the crowd again.
The energy exuding out of us is palpable.
We can all feel the power beginning to manifest like invisible threads between us.
“A new dawn has come. But our true power lies in our name. We belong to the night. To the darkness. To the ravens. For we are Nocturnus.”
While all of the founding families became one that night. Not all remained. Over the centuries, feuds were born. Lines were drawn. And oaths were broken. But Nocturnus in some form remains…
Lucy kisses me on the cheek. “I’m so proud of you, Atreus. You will lead us into a new age.”
She squeezes her sister’s hand before addressing the crowd herself.
“My sister, Imogen, was taken from this town. And then I watched it burn. While we all work hard to rebuild it, the true sacrifice has come from Atreus.” She nods toward me, and I step forward.
“Evigheden is no more. From here on out, we shall call our home Ever Graves.”
The crowd cheers while my friends shoot me quizzical looks.
This part wasn’t discussed with neither Cage nor Vale, as their pride would not allow them to agree to this.
They would want to share in the naming. And while Lucy doesn’t love them any less, she thought it best for all of us if it was decided without them.
It will be our greatest downfall.