Chapter 12: Her war to fight

Evelyn's breath came in shallow bursts, her heart pounding like a war drum. The revelation about her mother clawed at the edges of her sanity, threatening to consume her. They had her. The same people who wanted Evelyn dead had been using her mother as a pawn, a bargaining chip in a war Evelyn hadn't even known she was part of.

A slow, boiling rage built inside her, burning hotter than any fire she had ever conjured.

She turned sharply to Ronan. He was still pressing against his side, his wound soaking through his clothes, the dark stain spreading. His face was pale, his breaths coming in shallow gasps. She had been so caught up in the truth about her mother that she hadn't even noticed how bad it had gotten.

"You're bleeding too much," she muttered, dropping to her knees beside him. "You won't last like this."

"I'll be fine," Ronan let out, but even he didn't sound convinced.

Evelyn ignored him. Instinct guided her as she pressed her hands to his wound. A part of her hesitated. She had never healed anyone before, never even thought about trying. But something in her…something ancient whispered that she could. That she should.

Blue light shined at her fingertips, a soft glow illuminating the dark room. It pulsed, flowing into Ronan like waves crashing against the shore. He flinched at first, his body tensing, but then warmth. Relief. The pain in his expression eased, his breathing steadied.

Damien watched from a distance, arms crossed but eyes sharp. Orion observed in silence, his expression unreadable. Even the hooded stranger tilted his head slightly, intrigued.

Evelyn could feel the energy knitting Ronan's torn flesh together, the wound closing as if it had never been there. But as the last spark of her power faded, dizziness hit her like a sledgehammer. The room spun, and she nearly collapsed forward.

Ronan caught her before she could hit the ground. His touch was firm, steady. Warm.

"Easy," he murmured, his voice softer than she had ever heard it.

She blinked up at him, exhaustion dragging at her limbs. Did it work?

Ronan exhaled, rolling his shoulders. He pulled his shirt aside, revealing smooth, unbroken skin where the wound had been.

Yeah, he said, eyes locked onto hers. It worked.

A slow smirk pulled at the corner of his lips. "You're full of surprises, aren't you?"

Evelyn let out a shaky breath. "You have no idea."

She didn't have time to dwell on the fact that she had just healed someone, something she never even knew she could do. There was something more important now.

Her mother.

She turned to Orion, her voice sharp and unyielding. Where is she?

Orion hesitated.

"Don't you dare lie to me." Her power crackled, the air in the monastery thick with electricity.

Orion gazing at her. She's being held in the Shadow Keep.

Damien tensed beside her, and Ronan let out a sharp curse. Evelyn knew enough to understand the weight of those words. The Shadow Keep wasn't just a prison. It was a graveyard for the living, a place where nightmares were crafted and hope went to die.

She conformed her shoulders. "Then I'm going to get her."

Ronan scoffed. You just awakened your power, nearly lost control, and you think you're ready to storm the most fortified stronghold in vampire history?

She shot him a sneering glare. If you think I'm going to sit here and do nothing, then you don't know me at all.

Silence stretched between them, tense and unyielding. Then, Orion spoke.

Recklessness will get you killed, Evelyn. His voice was low, measured. "You need a plan."

A twinkle of movement in the corner of her eye caught her attention.

Then, pain.

A burning agony tore through her back, knocking the air from her lungs. The world spun as she hit the ground, her vision blurring.

The creature loomed above her.

A bizarre, hollow-eyed ghost, its ragged claws dripping with black blood discharge. It had come from the shadows, silent as death itself. She had been so caught up in her rage, in her desperation, that she hadn't sensed it.

Stupid.

Her muscles refused to obey as the creature raised its claws again.

She couldn't move.

The ghost lunged….

And silver steel sliced through the air.

In a blur of motion, Orion struck, his blade severing through the creature's body. The ghost shrieked, a sound that tore through Evelyn's skull, before dissolving into nothing but ash.

She gasped for breath.

"You let your emotions blind you," Orion said coldly, offering her his hand. "That will get you killed."

Shame burned in her chest, but she ignored it. She wouldn't make that mistake again.

She grasped his hand, letting him pull her up. Her wounds burned, but she had no time for pain.

Ronan, looking both annoyed and relieved, leaned against the stone wall. "Well, that was dramatic."

Damien ignored him, stepping closer to Evelyn. His expression was unreadable, but his fingers hovered just slightly over his weapon. Always ready.

Orion shielded his sword. You need training before you even think about walking into the Shadow Keep.

Evelyn crunched her teeth. We don't have time for that.

"Then you'll die."

The words were blunt, cutting through the haze of her anger like a knife. Evelyn hated it, but she knew he was right. Charging in blind wouldn't just get her killed, it would get her mother killed too.

She exhaled sharply, forcing herself to think. "Then we need a plan. A real one."

Damien crossed his arms. "Breaking into the Shadow Keep isn't impossible, but it's damn close. Even if we get past the outer defenses, the place is crawling with hunters."

Not to mention the wards, Ronan added, rubbing his temple. Layers upon layers of nasty magic designed to rip your soul from your body if you even step too close.

So how do we break in? Evelyn asked.

Orion hesitated for only a second before answering. There's a way. But it's dangerous.

She let out a humorless laugh. Everything about this is dangerous.

Orion's gaze sharpened. I'm not talking about physical danger. There's a ritual, a blood-binding spell that can temporarily suppress the Shadow Keep's wards. But it requires something in return.

Evelyn frowned. "What?"

Orion hesitated. Then, finally, he said, "A sacrifice."

The air grew heavy with the weight of his words.

Ronan's jaw dropped. Damien's expression dimmed.

Evelyn inhaled slowly. "Define sacrifice."

Orion met her gaze, unwavering. "Blood. Power. A part of yourself."

Her body went cold. She had barely begun to understand what she was, what she could do and now she would have to offer something she might never get back?

Damien stepped forward, his voice low and firm. We'll find another way.

Orion didn't waver. We don't have time for another way.

Evelyn's mind raced. She thought of her mother, trapped in that fortress, enduring God-knows-what for years.

She had already lost everything once. She wouldn't lose her again.

Her decision was made.

"Tell me what I have to do."

Ronan let out a strangled curse. Damien's hands curled into fists.

Orion didn't look away. Once the ritual begins, there's no turning back.

"I don't care."

His expression hardened. It will hurt.

"I said I don't care."

A flame of something approval passed through Orion's gaze before he nodded.

"Then we leave at dawn."

The next morning, Evelyn stood at the edge of an ancient altar, deep in the heart of the forest. The sky was dark, storm clouds rolling in like an omen.

Orion stood opposite her, the blade in his hand gleaming with ritualistic emblems.

"This will take something from you," he warned one last time.

Evelyn bared her teeth in something that wasn't quite a smile. "Let it."

Orion nodded. "Then kneel."

She did.

The blade sliced across her palm. The pain was instant, sharp, but she barely moved. Her blood dripped onto the altar, the stone pulsing with an unusual golden light.

Magic mumbled in the air, thick and electric.

She felt it immediately.

The energy latched onto her, coiling through her veins like a living thing. Her vision blurred as power surged through her, pulling, demanding.

It wanted something, something deep, something personal.

Then, the pain struck.

A burning, unbearable agony unlike anything she had ever known. It tore through her, burning away at something inside her very soul. She choked back a scream, her nails digging into the stone.

Orion's voice was distant, nearly drowned out by the roaring in her head.

"Do not fight it. Let it take what it needs."

She gasped, her body convulsing.

Then, just as suddenly as it had started….It stopped.

She collapsed forward, panting. Her hands shook.

She felt… weaker. But also lighter.

Like something had been stripped from her. Something she would never get back.

Orion stepped forward, placing a firm hand on her shoulder. "It is done."

Evelyn swallowed hard and forced herself to stand. She could still feel the raw ache of whatever had been taken from her, but she didn't have time to dwell on it.

She turned to the others, her voice hoarse but determined.

"Let's go get my mother."

And with that, they stepped into the darkness, ready to burn the Shadow Keep to the ground.

 ….Continue….