The night smelled of iron and damp earth.
Sunrei crouched in the mud behind a crumbling stone wall, his breath shallow, his fingers clenched around the hilt of a stolen dagger. The village of Locksford slept around him, unaware of the shadows slithering through its streets.
Not shadows. Hunters.
The Crimson Guard moved like ghosts, their black cloaks blending into the darkness. Sunrei had seen them before always from a distance, always fleeing before they could spot the jagged brand on his wrist. The Eclipse Mark. A curse disguised as a blessing.
Tonight, they weren't here for him.
A scream split the air.
Sunrei flinched as firelight erupted from the village square. The guards had dragged Old Man Harel from his home, his wrinkled face pressed into the dirt.
Where is the boy? The lead Hunter's voice was calm, lethal. The one with the mark.
Harel spat. Ain't no cursed children here.
The Hunter sighed. Then he drew his sword a blade etched with silver runes and buried it in Harel's chest.
Sunrei's stomach twisted. Run. Run now. But his feet stayed rooted. Harel had been the only one who'd given him scraps when the winter winds howled.
And now he was dead because of him.
The Hunter flicked blood from his sword. Burn it down. He's here somewhere.
That's when the sky ripped open.
A crimson light flooded the village.
Sunrei looked up and his breath vanished.
The moon wasn't white anymore. It was bleeding, its surface pulsing like a heart. The Blood Moon. It wasn't due for another three years.
The Hunters froze. One whispered, Impossible.
Then the earth trembled.
From the forest, something crawled. A mass of sinew and bone, its limbs too long, its mouth a jagged split across its face. A demon. No the Demon. The kind that only appeared during the Blood Moon.
The creature tilted its head and laughed, a sound like shattering glass.
Little sacrifices, it crooned. How kind of you to gather.
The Hunters attacked. Their blades flashed, slicing through the demon's flesh but the wounds sealed instantly. The demon swiped a claw, and two Hunters burst into gore.
Sunrei's legs finally worked. He ran.
Behind him, the village burned.
He didn't make it far.
A hand yanked him into an alley, slamming him against a wall. Sunrei lashed out with his dagger—but the blade stopped an inch from a woman's throat.
She was young, her dark hair tied back, her eyes sharp as flint. A healer's pendant hung around her neck, but the robes she wore were torn, stained with blood that wasn't hers.
Idiot, she hissed. You led them right to you.
Sunrei snarled. Who the hell are
The demon's shriek cut him off. Closer now.
The woman's grip tightened. "You want to live? Follow me.
She dragged him through the alley, into the ruins of a collapsed church. Beneath the rubble was a hidden hatch. They dropped into the darkness just as the demon's claws scraped the stones above.
Sunrei landed hard. The woman struck a match, revealing a cellar lined with shelves of herbs and bottled potions. A makeshift infirmary.
Kaelis, she said, tossing him a rag. Wipe the blood off. They can smell it.
Sunrei stared at her. You're helping me? Why?
Kaelis's gaze dropped to his wrist. To the Eclipse Mark.
Because you're already dead, she said softly. Might as well die useful.
Outside, the screams faded. The Blood Moon watched, silent.
Sunrei clenched his fist. The mark pulsed in response.
Tonight, the world ended.
Tomorrow, the hunt would begin.