Crimson Moon Oath
A Fantasy Romance by Chizzy
Chapter Ten – Between Fire and Shadow
The path that led away from the tower cut through valleys blanketed in fog. Avaline walked between Kael and Lycian, her boots silent on the wet grass, the bond pulsing faintly under her skin with every step.
The world felt too alive. The birds overhead were brighter, the wind heavier, every sound drawn sharper than before. When Kael moved, she could almost feel the cool stillness of his breath. When Lycian spoke, the warmth in his voice rippled through her chest like a second heartbeat.
They were quiet for hours.
At midday they stopped by a stream. Kael crouched beside the water, washing the blood from his hands. The reflection staring back at him was pale, weary, but his eyes—those crimson eyes—softened when Avaline knelt beside him.
"You've hardly said a word," she said gently.
"There's nothing worth saying."
"You think this bond ruined you?"
He looked up. "It didn't ruin me. It ruined you."
Avaline frowned. "You think I'd rather be ordinary again?"
"I think you deserve the choice."
She opened her mouth to answer, but Lycian's voice drifted from behind them. "If you two are done brooding, we need to move before the fog thickens."
Kael stood, his cloak brushing hers as he passed. She watched him for a moment, then turned to Lycian, who was tying his horse's reins.
"You always find a way to interrupt," she said.
"Only when it looks like he's about to make you cry." He glanced at her, his grin softening. "You've had enough tears for one lifetime, princess."
Something in the way he said it made her chest tighten.
As they rode again, the land began to change—ruins gave way to open plains, and in the far distance, Avaline saw the jagged silhouettes of towers rising from the mist. The cursed capital.
By nightfall they had reached its borders. The air there tasted of metal and dust. Old wards shimmered faintly above the city walls, threads of red magic tangled in the moonlight.
"This is where it began," Kael said.
"And where it ends," Lycian murmured.
Avaline felt the bond surge again, stronger than ever. Their emotions brushed against her mind like echoes—Kael's sorrow, Lycian's hunger, and her own fear twisting between them all.
She pressed a hand over her heart. "Whatever happens here," she said, "we face it together."
Lycian met her gaze. "You don't even know what that means yet."
"Then teach me."
Kael's voice was quiet but firm. "You may regret learning."
She shook her head. "I'd rather regret truth than live in ignorance."
The wind rose, sweeping her hair across her face. The moon above them pulsed red again, its light crawling down the stone towers like veins of blood.
Kael drew his sword. Lycian bared his claws.
Avaline took a breath that trembled but did not break.
"Then let's end the curse," she whispered.
And as the gates of the capital groaned open, the bond between the three of them burned brighter than the moon.
To be continued...