Chapter 76: The Blood Trail

The forest blurred around them as they ran, branches whipping at their faces and arms. Kael's lungs burned, his ribs aching with each frantic breath. The thing inside his chest—the stolen shard—thrummed like a second heartbeat, pulsing in time with the black veins now creeping up his forearm.

Aurelia led them through the undergrowth with unnatural precision, her boots barely disturbing the fallen leaves. The cracks on her neck had stopped spreading, but the black webs still marred her skin like shattered glass.

Lucian brought up the rear, his sword drawn, his crimson eyes scanning the trees behind them. "She's gaining," he hissed.

Kael didn't need to ask who. The air itself trembled with the Original's presence, a pressure building against his eardrums like diving too deep underwater. Every instinct screamed at him to run faster, but his legs were leaden, weighed down by the shard's growing influence.

Ahead, Aurelia skidded to a stop so abruptly Kael nearly collided with her. Before them yawned a ravine, its steep sides slick with moss and loose stone. At its bottom churned a river the color of tarnished silver.

"No bridge," Lucian growled.

Aurelia's fingers twitched at her sides. "We don't need one."

She grabbed Kael's wrist—the one with the black veins—and dragged him to the edge. The moment her skin touched his corrupted flesh, the pact-bond flared to life, visions flooding his mind:

—Aurelia standing on a different cliff, centuries younger, her arms outstretched as shadows poured from her fingertips to form a bridge of pure darkness—

—The Original's laughter echoing through time—

—The bridge crumbling beneath her feet—

Kael wrenched free, gasping. "You can't—"

"I can." Aurelia's eyes were fully black again, the whites swallowed by the void. "But it'll leave a trail even the dead could follow."

Lucian's head snapped up, his nostrils flaring. "Do it."

Aurelia exhaled sharply through her nose. Then she raised both hands—

—and tore reality apart.

Darkness spilled from her fingertips, weaving itself into a narrow, shuddering bridge across the ravine. The moment it solidified, the mark on her neck split further, black blood welling in the fissures.

"Go!" she gritted out.

They crossed in single file, the bridge undulating beneath their feet like living flesh. Kael kept his eyes fixed on the opposite bank, refusing to look down at the churning waters below. The shard in his chest pulsed hungrily, as if recognizing the power that had formed the bridge.

They reached the other side just as the first howl echoed through the trees behind them—a sound like rending metal and dying animals. The bridge dissolved into wisps of shadow, but the damage was done.

Kael could feel it—the darkness they'd left hanging in the air like a beacon. A trail of breadcrumbs leading straight to them.

Aurelia swayed on her feet, the cracks on her neck weeping black. Lucian caught her before she could collapse, his expression unreadable as he hauled her upright.

"Where now?" Kael panted.

Aurelia lifted a trembling hand, pointing northeast. "There's a place... old magic. She can't see us there."

Lucian's grip on her tightened. "How far?"

"Too far." Her lips peeled back in a pained smile. "Unless you feel like carrying me."

Kael opened his mouth to respond when the shard in his chest twisted, sending him to his knees. White-hot pain lanced through his body as new visions assaulted him:

—The Original standing over a village, her shadow stretching for miles—

—Every man, woman, and child falling to their knees, black veins spreading across their skin—

—Their mouths opening in unison, speaking with her voice—

The vision shifted:

—Lucian, kneeling before an altar of bone, a crown of shadows forming above his brow—

—His crimson eyes glowing with borrowed power—

—A name whispered in the dark: "Vladimir"—

Kael came back to himself with a gasp, his nose bleeding freely. Lucian was crouched beside him, his face unnaturally pale.

"What did you see?" the vampire demanded.

Kael wiped his nose, his hand coming away streaked red and black. "She's turning people. Making them hers." He hesitated, the last image burning behind his eyes. "And... I think I saw your past."

Lucian went very still.

Aurelia's head snapped up, her nostrils flaring. "We need to move. Now."

The howl came again—closer this time. Close enough to shake the leaves from the trees.

Kael forced himself to stand, the shard's weight heavier than before. "Will we make it?"

Aurelia met his gaze, her black eyes endless. "We have to."

Then the first shadow crossed the ravine behind them—not the Original, but one of her puppets, its movements jerky and unnatural. Then another. And another.

They ran.