Chapter One

It was a bitterly cold morning as Rhosyn grabbed a wooden log and placed it in the woodstove. She glanced out the window and couldn't help it when her lips slowly turned upwards at the way the sun transformed the valley beneath them into a breathtaking canvas of interchanging colours. The sun had just dipped below the mountain that overlooked the valley, casting it into a deep orange crevasse that slowly faded into a vibrant purple wasteland when the sunlight vanished. She was at ease within her cottage for it had finally felt like home to her after always being on the run.

She reached over to the sink to fill the pot with water before placing it on the burner to boil. A shiver raced through her body as she pulled the woollen shawl closer to keep herself warm, the cold creeping forth as the stormy night suddenly turned to ice.

The burner glowed a smouldering red as it grew hot and the soft bubble of boiling water permeated the air. Rhosyn placed a wooden splinter on the stove and waited for it to catch fire. She silently tasked herself with lighting the candles one by one, illuminating the room with a soft glow.

She sighed softly as she glanced around her cozy home.

The glow from the candles left dancing shadows on the wall. In the kitchen, they had a table to eat at, but it was stacked with papers and books. Rhosyn stared at the table, face marred with a frown and her lips pursed. She knew she needed to find a home for her research and books there was no place to put them; other than the table, that is.

She glanced towards the crackling fire in the hearth, and dragged her gaze closer, towards the lion skin. It was sprawled upon the floor, and for a moment she could imagine the majesty of the great beast once more.

The thought was overshadowed, of course, because curled up on top of the skin was Graver. He had lain in front of a fabric chair that was covered in blankets; his enormous paws shifted in his sleep. His ebony fur swayed with his every breath; his alert ears are twitching absently in his dream.

Without any indication, one eye slowly slipped open. It revealed a gold-flecked emerald pupil blazing just as brightly as the fire in the hearth, before retreating once more. Rhosyn softened her expression as she bent down beside Graver and ran her hand through his thick black fur. Graver released a soft chirp in his slumber. Rhosyn stood and glanced towards the left of the fireplace where there stood a small, round tea-table with a collection of dainty cups and saucers sitting upon a small silver tray that held a sugar-dish, a cream-pot, and a half-dozen gold-lined souvenir spoons. All that was missing was the little tea-kettle that sat beside the woodstove.

She walked back towards her kitchen when she heard the teapot whistling. As she walked past the table, her mind registered the small doorway that led to her room and a chamber that held an iron bathtub for washing.

She closed the burner to the woodstove and poured the water into the tea-kettle, letting the herbs steep as she slowly stirred the substances. The water gradually began to turn a yellowy-pink hue, and the scent of lemons wafted throughout the room.

Rhosyn sighed as she moved over to the chair and sat down, reaching over to the tea table to pour the contents into one of the small tea-cups. She brought the cup closer to her face, slowly inhaling the sweet aroma of lemons, savouring the moment. She brought the tea up to her lips, relaxed into the chair and took a sip.

"Ow!" She sputtered, quickly placing the cup down. The tea was hotter than she expected, leaving a searing pain behind that first tingled, then slowly turned to numb. Her tongue felt raw and unfeeling as the damaged taste buds struggled to recover.

She grabbed a small log from the pile that sat in the shadows beside the fire. Using a stick, she pushed the wooden log until it was in the right spot to catch fire. She wrapped herself in the blanket and watched the flames curl and sway, crackling as they burned the dry wood, turning it to ash.

She closed her eyes and basked in the feeling of warmth that soaked into her body from the two sources of heat. She glanced over at Graver, watching as he slowly breathed in and out in his sleep. Her eyes grew soft, and the corners of her lips lifted as a memory came upon her.

"Rhosyn! You and Saffir stay away from that embankment I tell you!" A voice yelled from afar. She looked at her younger sister and giggled.

"We will, Mam!" Rhosyn called back.

"I'm warning you, Rhosyn."

Eventually, she heard the slam of the cottage's back door.

"Rhosyn, are we going to do as Ma says?" Saffir frantically asked, her face torn between worry and excitement.

"Of course, we are… however, I also promised, didn't I?" Rhosyn said, a smile breaking out on her face, Saffir responded just as fast, grabbing the older one's arm and jumping up and down as she tried to contain her squealing. Rhosyn couldn't help but laugh and peeked over her shoulder towards the cottage, to make sure no one was watching.

"I will always keep my promises to you. Now, are you ready?" Rhosyn asked as she looked down at Saffir.

Saffir released her grip from Rhosyn's arm and held onto her hand instead. They both took off running through the tall green grass with the sun shining above them. They laughed and giggled as they tripped over their long dresses as they came to the edge of the embankment; they began to slow down to catch their breath. The tops of the trees rose above the ravine, giving the illusion of bushes floating in the air. Saffir released Rhosyn's hand and ran towards the treetops before disappearing out of her sight.

Rhosyn slowed down, her hands touching the tall grass as she passed, the sagely green blades gently brushing her soft skin. She felt in absolute bliss as the sunlight created rays of light through the boughs of the trees, creating a fantastical scene. She could hear the brook babbling away, the birds chirping and fluttering in the undergrowth and the branches slowly creaking in the gentle breeze. Despite the cruelty, she suffered from her foster parents, times like these where both she and Saffir were entirely at ease made it all worth it.

An ear-piercing scream echoed through the air as Rhosyn's thought's shattered, blood began to pound in her ears. Her heart thudded in her chest as her hands shook, pins and needles piercing her body. Her vision shifted, feeling as if she were looking through a fisheye lens. A heavyweight sat in her stomach as she took off running. The realization hit as her foot touched nothing but space, causing her heart and stomach to jump up into her throat. She realized she was falling, and only to find that she had made the same mistake, too late to stop the consequences of her action. The embankment had appeared out of nowhere—the flowy reeds must have concealed the edge, she thought. Her arms flailed out in front of her, reaching for the sky as if it could pull her back up.

"Oomph!" Rhosyn gasped as the impact pushed all the air from her lungs as she hit the ground rolling with twigs grabbing ahold of her dress, twisting and turning her as she became caught up in her dress. A sharp burning pain cracked throughout her lower back and chest as she fell into the mud, not far from Saffir. Rhosyn gasped for air as the shock radiated through her body, leaving her breathless. The pain was too much.

"Iacha." She whispered – a healing incantation, the first one that came to mind. Slowly did the pain ease enough that she could bear it. Rhosyn carefully sat up and looked around to see Saffir clutching her leg, her face twisted in pain. Her hair was pulled out of its tight bun and sticking out all over the place, dirt smudging her face as the tears cleared a shiny path down her cheeks.

"Saffir… you okay?" Rhosyn whispered.

"I think I did s-something to my leg." Saffir whimpered as she wiped her tears from her cheeks.

Rhosyn took note of Saffir's pale face as she pushed herself to her feet and pain explode through her arm like a fire eagerly consuming all the flesh. She cringed, gritting her teeth to stop herself from gasping. Pain blindsided her with a sparkling whiteness, making her head swim with dizziness and her body sway with unease. It was like needles had been dipped in alcohol and jammed through her skin, like electricity branching inward reaching for her spine, before spreading throughout the rest of her back. She couldn't tell where it started or ended. She bit her tongue and tried to block out the pain, focusing on getting to Saffir as quickly as possible.

"Let me see." She knelt despite the pain and felt Saffir's legs. Saffir screamed, trying to hold back her tears.

"No, no, it hurts! It hurts—stops! Make it stop!" She sobbed, an arm jerking outward to grasp at Rhosyn's.

"Saffir, please don't cry, look at me, okay? Don't look at your leg." She slowly lifted Saffir's skirt, to reveal a dark purple hematoma that continued to spread ever so slowly.

"Not good," Rhosyn mumbled. Saffir was bleeding into her skin, which could mean that the bone was possibly broken and had ruptured something important. She noticed that the dark purple bruising and swelling began forming around her knee, spreading and multiplying like sickly bacteria. She glanced up when she heard Saffir starting to hyperventilate.

"I need you to breathe slowly." She comforted Saffir.

"You trust me, don't you?"

Saffir hiccupped as nodded her head, forcing herself to breathe steady, shaky breaths. Rhosyn wiped a tear off of her cheek and tried to smile.

"Your leg is broken. I can heal the damage; however, it will be more than painful, but you'll be healed if all goes right. Okay?" She had enough energy to cast an incantation that would be able to mend her leg, but not enough to remove the pain during the mending.

"Y - You can heal me? How?" Saffir clenched her fists together and held herself stiff, trying to lessen the pain as she waited to see what Rhosyn would do.

"Yes." Rhosyn hesitated, "I was born an Elderblood, Saffir." She looked into Saffir's eyes, waiting to see her reaction.

"An Elderblood?"

"Yes. I am not your blood family. I'm… I'm sorry. You weren't mean to find out…" Rhosyn couldn't find it in herself to hold the smile... She never expected she would have to tell Saffir the truth.

"I will answer all your questions," she added quickly, "I promise, but I need to stop the bleeding."

"Okay..." Saffir murmured, a surge of pain forcing her to forego any hesitation.

"Ok." Rhosyn ripped a strip of fabric from the hem of her skirt, before tying it around a stick and handing it to Saffir. Saffir narrowed her eyes and chewed on her lip as she raised an eyebrow at Rhosyn.

"For you to bite onto, so you don't bite your tongue or scream too loudly." Rhosyn saw beads of sweat slide down her face as her facial expression was pale and trembling. She quickly reassured Saffir before she hovered her hands above the expanding hematoma.

"Iacha." She whispered as she cast the spell. A loud snap echoed throughout the ravine and Rhosyn flinched at the sound, the contents of her stomach folding in on itself. Saffir clenched her jaw as she bit down hard, muffled screams of agony coming from her when the pain became overwhelming. Once it had faded into the heavy ache that healing left behind, she slumped over, her back hitting a tree trunk, and trembled weakly. The damage made by the break continued to slowly knit back together, leaving behind a small faded bruise on her thigh as evidence. Saffir removed the branch from her mouth with a weak arm. It was stained with blood, and upon seeing it, she lurched to the side and vomited. She coughed at the acidic taste it left behind and wiped her face before looking at Rhosyn with wide doe-like eyes, filled with tears and wonder.

"I-I bit down on my tongue trying not to scream... but it healed." Saffir opened and closed her mouth a few times, trying to find the words.

"Thank-you." Saffir finally said, "You're not my blood, but... family's more than that. W-What is an Elderblood?"

Rhosyn took a breath and propped herself against a rock, trying to block out the pain in her back while relief echoed through her.

A loud snapping of twigs and the crunch of gravel came from behind Rhosyn, stopping the developing words from exiting her mouth. From the sound of it, she thought perhaps it was a deer or a larger animal that was moving in the black shadows of the forest, just at the bottom of the ravine. She didn't have the energy to get up and look, but she knew it wasn't right. It was in the way Saffir's eyes widened with fear how the blood drained from her body as she turned white and ghost-like.

Rhosyn slowly turned to see that there were three hundred and forty pounds of dense muscle, claws, and fangs staring right at them. It was the one creature she was taught to stay away from ever since she could walk and listen to words without getting distracted by the butterflies — the Bearer of Death.

"Stay very still. I'll get us out of here." Rhosyn whispered. The hard lump in her throat made it difficult to swallow.

"What is that thing?" Saffir spluttered, trembling, glancing around in an increasingly panicked manner – searching for an escape – any escape.

"The Bearer of Death, Hellhounds. They were supposedly created by ancient demons to serve as Heralds of Death. According to legend, seeing one leads to..." Its eyes were a deep, bright, almost – glowing red. Rhosyn swallowed the rock in her throat

"… well…, you die."

The beast seemed to snarl at the mention of death, flashing its razor-sharp teeth as it began to circle the pair. Saffir reached for a rock to throw at it.

"Don't!" Rhosyn slid a dagger from her underneath her skirt as quick as she could.

"Shhh…" Rhosyn eyed the hellhound as it circled them, realizing that its attention was focused mainly on Saffir. It must have felt her weakness, thought Rhosyn and thought she would be an easy meal.

Not on my watch, if I have anything to do with it.

Rhosyn had to get its attention away from Saffir. Her gaze dragged toward the rock that had tumbled from Saffir's hand and an idea formed in her mind despite the flurry of thoughts that told her it was a terrible idea.

"Oh gods, it's worth a shot." She muttered, kicking herself into action.

She grabbed the rock off the ground with a handful of dirt and pegged it at the creature's head. When the pile hit the Hellhound and caused the animal to snap its jaw, she darted for the river behind her. Hellhound's roar was the only answer she needed. Easy prey was, well easy, but there was a bloodlust for a challenge in those dead eyes. Rhosyn sprinted down the side of the river.

The beast let out a low snarl before giving chase. She could hear its massive paws tearing up the sand in clumps. Its heavy breathing felt so close that she could practically feel its breath as she ducked and rolled, the Hellhound jumping clear over her and landing ahead of her and skidding to a stop. Rhosyn got to her feet and began to back away, her back to the river's edge as the monster stalked her slowly, circling her to cut off her escape.

She felt the cold waters touch her ankles as she stepped into the river, feeling the current pull at the tattered remains of her dress. Step by step she kept going deeper until she felt the sand disappear underneath her feet. She looked at the Hellhound in the eye, seeing the ecstatic hunger in its eyes as it hunched low, ready to pounce. Like a coiled spring, it jumped, closing the distance between them as Rhosyn dived forward, hearing the snap of its jaws mere inches from her head.

She heard a loud splash of water as she hit the sand, looking back to see a deluge of water explode from the river's surface. She sat there in shock, hearing its pained howling as steam and smoke poured from its writhing skin when it broke the surface. Shaking away the shock, she scrambled to her feet, running as fast as her legs could carry her, turning only once to see the black monster pull itself from the water, its skin seemingly burning as it gave chase.

Rhosyn looked ahead of her, trying to find anything to keep it away, she saw a pile of driftwood and stone near the edge of the water. She quickly darted towards it, skidding to her knees, before crawling under the blanched logs. She heard the beast crash into the pile as it howled in frustration. She could hear it tearing at the brittle wood. She turned away and kept crawling deeper into the pile, ignoring the awful baying and the sound of splintering wood. When she saw an opening, she felt a tug on her dress as a snarl came from the hellhound. She turned to see the beast had gotten inside, the smouldering red eyes burning in the shadows. She felt the rush of wind touch her feet of its snapping jaws, mere inches away as it struggled to push its immense form through the driftwood.

Rhosyn felt a sharp pain in her back, a cry leaving her lips as she fell on her face, the pain so terrible she could hardly move. She pulled herself forward, dragging her body despite the pain as she freed herself of the driftwood. She glanced back to see the beast was stuck, shattering wood and stone, roaring angrily as its prey escaped. Rhosyn stood up weakly, trying to run away only to stumble to her knees.

The beast burst from the pile, sending driftwood flying in all directions, howling with triumphant. Its eyes bore down on her as it slowly approached its wounded prey. Rhosyn closed her eyes, not able to bear the malicious face and to pray that Saffir would be okay in exchange for her life. She felt a rush of wind, blowing her hair from her face and the sound of beastly snarls echoing in her mind.

"Rhosyn! Look!" she heard Saffir cry out.

Rhosyn opened her eyes, staring at a great, black wolf standing between her and the Hellhound. The monster tried to move past the wolf, but the wolf moved to halt the monster attack. Again and again, it tried to pass, only for the wolf to snap its jaws, a low snarl leaving its throat. Eventually, both stopped, their eyes locking on each other as they began to circle each other — both snarling and barking menacingly.

The Hellhound moved first, lunging forward with its teeth bared to the wolf, only for the wolf to dodge and attack its haunches, tearing a chunk of flesh from its body. The hellhound howled in pain as the wolf danced away before striking again, tearing away at it piece by piece. Blood soaked the yellow sand as the Hellhound struggled to keep up with the nimble wolf. Soon, a defeated whimper left the hellhounds lips as it limped away, crying into the forest, leaving the wolf to howl triumphantly over its foe. The wolf turned to Rhosyn; its emerald eyes were suddenly soft as it gazed on her, mist and smoke rising from its ebony fur.

Slowly, but surely, the animal morphed into a man.

He had curls that were midnight black, and his eyes were emerald green with gold flecks throughout, framed by graceful brows. She noticed he had prominent cheekbones and a well-defined chin and nose. Her face went red as she saw muscles rippling across every part of his body. He was a seasoned warrior. She'd never seen a man with those features, but she knew, without a doubt, that he wasn't from around here.

Why does he feel familiar? She thought.

He took a step towards her and Rhosyn took a quick step back

"I am not going to hurt you." His voice came out husky and quiet.

"What are you?" She whispered, the words going straight past her.

"I am a Gwarcheidiol. It's a term for male Elderblood. We can shift into other beings." He took a step forward, but she flinched at the sound of the forest floor snapping and shifting under his weight, and tried to move away. He paused at the sound, fearing she didn't recognize him.

"I won't hurt you." He repeated, slowly raising his hands so she could see them.

"What is your name?" She asked, the adrenaline and shock slowly leaving her, a sound mind replacing the panic.

"Graver, Gwarcheidiol Graver," He answered, "And you?"

"Graver?" Rhosyn said as she rolled the name around in her mind. Graver took a deep breath as he tried to control his fear.

"Did I say something wrong?"

"No, My Lady, I…I was just hoping you would recognize me." He grabbed her hand and knelt in front of her. A shock went up to her arm from the contact. In response, she tried to pull her hand from his.

"Please forgive me. I only want what is best for you." He quickly brought her hand to his mouth, despite her confused protesting and sunk his teeth into her flesh.

It made her world go black.

Where am I? She thought as she slowly woke to a blanket being placed on her lap. She glanced towards the window and saw the moon illuminating the forest with its brightness. She turned to see the fire was silent and dead, unmoving. A contrast to the lively nature she had witnessed beforehand

"Oh, I must have fallen asleep." She grabbed the blanket around her shoulder and glanced towards Graver. He was staring at her; eyebrows pulled downwards in a soft frown.

"Rhoysn? Are you okay?" He asked, slowly.

"Sorry, I am a bit foggy. You woke me." She grabbed her cup from the table and got up to dump the cold tea. A warm body crept up behind her, and Graver's familiar hands drifted down her shoulders to her elbows as he placed a feather-light kiss on her shoulder.

"Another sleepless night?" He inquired. She nodded and noted the way he had eyed the tea mix.

"The pain came back." She said as she put the tea away, it would be the only thing she would give him.

"Did you have a flashback?" She felt his gaze on her back, and she turned to stare at Graver.

Since that day, he was always by her side, still protecting her. Without fail, so far.

"Just old memories as a child." She said and gave him a soft, tired smile, silently hoping it reached her eyes just enough to cancel any suspicion.

"Are you ever going to tell me what happened when we ran through the portal? Why you lost me?"

She asked as she watched him light the fire. Graver looked up as the fire came to life.

"You were still a babe." Graver sighed as he pulled her to the couch, "the enemy was on our tail, and when we jumped through the portal, one managed to get ahold of me. The poison took a while to wear off. I curled around you as my wolf worked on removing the poison. I was in a deep sleep when Alda came and took you" Rhosyn curled into him as she stared into the blazing fire as she recalled what had happened that day. A few years after finding her the family that took her in were sitting on Saffir's bed, with a relieved expression. She still remembers the words they said, clear as it was that

day, and the weight that didn't leave when it finally sunk in.

We thought you were normal, but you ended up being a monster.

"Rhoysn?"

You're not welcomed here. You never will be

His voice brought her back.

"Sorry, how was your day yesterday?" She glanced up at him, giving him her full attention.

He smiled.

"The carpentry guild is trying to find a leader. They want me to step up and take it on."

She could feel the excitement radiating off of him even if he refused to show it. Smiling, she sat down in the chair once more. He sat beside her and pulled her into him.

"That's amazing, and I'm proud of you Graver. You always talked about wanting to be chief of a guild since you were young." She mumbled, trying to converse even as she felt her eyes grow heavy. She did want to hear what he had to say, but she was just too tired.

"It's okay Rhosyn. Rest. I'll be here when you wake up." He ran his fingers through her soft thick hair.

The rhythm lulled her into darkness.

Graver looked down at Rhosyn's peaceful face. He missed her face while he was busy running errands. His body grew hot as she laid against him. The mating urge had begun now that she was at the age for a male to claim her as his mate, it was becoming difficult for him to hold back. He just needed to wait until Gael, Telsa and Aria left the temple so they could meet up at the rendezvous point.

They had a mission to finish.

His ears twitched as shouts came from the forest lines. He quickly glanced out the window and saw flaming torches, rising over the hill, casting shadows of weapons and elongated silhouettes, dancing against the trees in a frenzy for blood. A picture of darkness and flames that forced his heart pound twofold in his chest.

He reached over and grabbed Rhosyn, jolting her awake.

"We must go! We've been found." He got up quickly, locked the door, and yanked the shutters. He looked over his shoulder at to see Rhosyn staring at him, stunned.

"Quickly, Rhosyn! The emergency bags are under the boards where the table is sitting." He said, pointing toward the hatch that sat quite content under the furniture. Graver felt the anger radiating from the mob as they moved closer to the cottage. From the world outside came a strange, blood-chilling sound, that Rhosyn could now hear. It was the low snarling of many voices, and it grew louder and louder until it became a sullen, muttering roar.

"Kill the witch! Kill the witch!" A chorus of voices shouted angrily.

"What is happening Graver?" Rhosyn's voice trembled as she turned to Graver. Her violet eyes were wide with fear, and she chewed on her lip, a bad habit she had formed when she was younger.

"I'll explain on the way! Get your things and get to the stables. I'll follow you." He grabbed one of the emergency bags he had prepared. He watched as she opened the floorboards, removed the bags, and rushed to the door. He followed her to the stables, listening to the noise coming from the front of the cottage, listening to a mob hellbent on violence. The sound of wood snapping and shattering reached Graver's ears. They breached the front door. He thought. With a newfound urgency, the couple ran into the barn and saddled their horses as quick as they could.

"Where's the witch?" A booming voice echoed from inside the cabin. "Burn it all down!"

"Where are we going to go now?" Rhosyn asks as her hand trembles as she tightens the straps of the saddle.

"The shifting lands." He paused as he took a deep breath to steady his pounding heart before quickly jumping onto the horse and taking off.

Rhosyn mounted the horse as she heard the shattering of broken glass in the distance.

I don't want to be on the run anymore. Rhosyn thought as her heart continued to race.

She raced out of the barn only to glance back to see her home engulfed in flames.

There'll never be a place to call home, will there?

* * * * *

The pain was too much. Two days on the run trying to get to her family's' estate without a break was too much, and even the horses thought so. Graver wanted to put as much distance between the town and them, but if they continued like this, Rhosyn would be surprised if the horses could carry on at all.

Whoever had sent the folks to the cottage told the people who they were, and that was dangerous. Graver and Rhosyn had an idea on who it was but had not reliable evidence.

Rhosyn sighed as she loosened her grip on the horse reins, allowing the blood to rush back into her hands. She didn't need to look down, only had to feel the ache of raw, abused skin to know it was getting too much. Faintly, she heard running water in the distance and took up her chances.

"Graver, we need to stop and rest. The horses need a rest." She urged him. He glanced back towards her and nodded; eyes filled with sympathy.

They pulled off toward a grassy patch by the river, groaning in relief as they dismounted. Rhosyn noted that the horses quickly trotted towards the water to drink. Wasn't a bad idea, she thought as she hobbled over to sit by the river.

I wonder if my sister is still alive. Rhosyn pondered as she washed the journey's sweat away.