Chapter 13 — Teeth in the Dark
The rustle came again — closer this time. Not one set of steps, but three, maybe four.
Kael didn't slow his stride. The noble youth leaned against him, still clutching his side, each step dragging. Blood scent carried in the cold night air — bait, whether intentional or not.
Side's tone was dry. —Three ahead, one circling left. Their heat patterns don't match human norms.
Kael's mouth quirked. "More of our chimera friends?"
—No. Too light. Think… wolves. But not the kind that howl at moons.
He caught the glint first — an unnatural amber flicker between the trees. Then they stepped into the light.
Four lupine shapes padded forward, each twice the size of a warhound. Their fur shimmered with a metallic sheen, and their jaws were lined not just with teeth, but fine serrated ridges like a saw. One growled low, the sound grinding like metal under stone.
The noble tensed. "Shadowfangs."
Kael shifted his stance just enough to loosen his blade in its sheath. "Cute name."
The lead wolf lunged. Time stretched.
Kael's foot slid back, grounding him. In the same breath, his sword cleared the sheath — a single upward cut. Moonlight flashed across steel, then crimson as the blade opened the wolf's throat. Blood sprayed, hot against the cool air.
He pivoted before the first body hit the ground. The second wolf came from the left — fangs bared, aiming for his neck. Kael let it come, then twisted, bringing his sword up in a backhand slice. Steel met jaw. The momentum wrenched the beast's head sideways with a wet crack.
The other two circled, smarter than their dead kin.
Side whispered in his mind. —Rear tree. Use it.
Kael smirked. "You always make me work for it."
He stepped back deliberately, letting one wolf charge. At the last second, he sidestepped, planting a boot against the trunk and kicking off. Air and space bent for a heartbeat — his form blurring as he landed behind the second wolf. His sword punched through its spine, the tip bursting from its chest.
The last wolf froze, ears flicking. It backed away, lips curling.
Kael crouched low, meeting its eyes. "Run."
It bolted.
Kael let it go. Something that fast could carry news — and he wanted to know who was listening.
The noble stared at the corpses. "You fight like—"
Kael cut him off. "Like someone who doesn't want to die? Yes."
The shadows beneath him stirred. Two of the wolf bodies slipped into them — gone before the noble could blink. The third lay where it fell, a decoy for whatever followed.
They moved on. But in the dark behind them, unseen eyes tracked every step.