The Weight of Blood

The Weight of Blood
Chapter 129:

Selene moved first.

The flash of her blade caught the faint light, fast, clean, silent.

Aria barely had time to shift her weightz befor the dagger sliced towards her throat. It cut a strand of her hair before meeting air. She twisted, catching Selene’s wrist and shoving back hard. The woman was stronger than she looked, wiry and balanced, her movements precise and trained.

They’d taught Aria to fight like that once. It wasn’t so long ago, that she’d been one of them.

“Still quick,” Selene hissed, circling her. “Did you learn that trick before you ran away, or after you let the Council silence us?”

Aria ducked another swipe. “I didn’t let them silence anyone!”

Selene feinted left, then lunged right. Their blades met with a sharp ring, steel sparking in the dim light. Aria stumbled back, the edge of her boot catching a stone, but she caught her balance in time. She swung low, forcing Selene to dodge. The motion was instinct, the muscle memory of a girl who once trained beneath the torches of the Moon-Blessed.

Selene’s eyes flicked to her back, to the faint glow of the Rune beneath Aria’s torn shirt.

“Well, well,” she drawled, her voice taunting. “The mark didn’t fade. Not even after you disobeyed the goddess?”

“Disappointed?” Aria shot back, shoving her off.

“Surprised,” Selene replied. “Penelope swore that she would kill you.”

Aria’s breath caught. She tightened her grip on the dagger. “She tried.”

Selene smiled faintly. “Not hard enough, apparently.”

They clashed again, quick, brutal, an unspoken fury in every movement. Aria parried one strike, countered another, the blade grazing Selene’s shoulder. Blood blossomed across the fabric, but Selene didn’t waver, rather she seemed to get more stirred up. She spun and kicked wildly, slamming into Aria’s ribs. Hard.

Aria hit the ground, the dagger skidding out of her reach.

Selene’s boot pinned her chest. The woman’s breath came fast now, her golden eyes gleaming with something fierce and conflicted.

“Why are you here?” she demanded.

Aria struggled beneath her, gasping. “We need to speak with your leaders. It’s urgent.”

Selene chuckled softly, the sound filled with bitterness. “You think after what you did, they’ll listen to you?”

“I didn’t do anything.”

“You ran,” Selene snapped. “You left us when they came. You were the Moon’s favorite once, remember? And then you left. You left us to burn.”

Selene’s laugh was sharp and bitter. “You could have stayed and fought. Instead, you disappeared, and left us to face his council alone.”

The words hit harder than the blows. Aria felt the old guilt claw up her chest. The smell of frost and iron filling her lungs. She shoved her knee upward, forcing Selene off-balance, grabbing her dagger and rolled to her feet.

“You think I had a choice?” she shouted, panting. “You weren’t there, Selene! You didn’t see what they were ready to do to me.”

“Everyone has a choice.” Selene lunged again. Their blades clashed, and this time, Aria didn’t retreat. She met every blow, every strike, every word with equal force.

“They exiled us because Lucien’s council was afraid,” Selene snapped. “Afraid of what we were becoming. And you,” She slashed, missing by inches. “...you were the proof they needed.”

Aria rolled aside, grabbing a handful of snow to blind her. The powder burst between them, sparkling in the air. Selene cursed, wiping at her eyes, and Aria used the moment to kick the dagger from her hand. It clattered across the rocks.

For a second, neither moved. Their breaths mingled, coming out in short, cold puffs. 

Then Selene lunged bare-handed, tackling Aria to the ground. They struggled, breath steaming, each trying to find leverage.

“Stop!” Aria gasped. “Listen to me!” She grabbed the dagger, holding the blade at Selene’s throat.

Selene’s eyes narrowed. “Why should I listen to you? You come back leading wolves and rogues? What are you trying to do, Aria? What are you really doing here?”

Aria hesitated. “Trying to stop something worse.”

Selene’s gaze flicked toward the ridges. The sounds of clashing metal still echoed faintly, Lucien’s men fighting against unseen sentinels. “Is the Alpha King with you?” she asked, her tone dangerous.

Aria froze. “Ye..Yes.”

Selene’s jaw tightened. She slammed her elbow into Aria’s side, twisting free. In one swift motion she struck Aria’s wrist, sending the dagger flying. Then she grabbed her by the collar and shoved her hard against the rocks.

“You brought him here, didn't you? The Alpha who stood by while the Council banished us, who called us unstable, who let them burn our sanctuaries.” Her grip tightened around Aria’s arm. “And now you expect us to welcome you back with open arms?”

“Lucien didn’t order that.” Aria wrenched her arm free and shoved upward, flipping them both. 

Her knee pinned Selene’s shoulder, but the older woman caught her by the collar and pulled her down close. “Maybe not,” Selene said coldly, “but he let it happen. And now you stand beside him.”

“We stood by you when he left you.” Selene spat. “Do you have any idea, how much your mark cost us?”

Aria didn’t fight back. Her voice was low, raw. “No. I don't. ”

Something flickered in Selene’s expression, pain, then hesitation, but it was gone as quickly as it came. “Ask Lucien,” she said coldly. “Ask him what he promised when the Council ordered the Moon-Blessed scattered.”

Before Aria could answer, a voice echoed from above.

“Aria!” Kael.

She turned her head, spotting his silhouette on the ridge. Behind him, torches flared, Lucien and some of the rogues moving down the slope toward them.

Selene saw them too. Her face hardened.

“You really did bring them here.”

“It’s not what you think—”

Selene shoved her off and snatched the fallen dagger, backing away. Her eyes glinted like molten gold. “Tell your Alpha King to stay back. This ground is still ours.”

Lucien stopped several paces away, his eyes narrowing. “Who is she?”

Kael’s expression darkened. “Selene. One of the Moon-Blessed.”

Selene’s glare cut to him. “Kael. How nice, you finally remembered us.”

Kael didn’t respond.

Selene drew back, dagger raised. “Stay where you are.”

Lucien kept his tone level. “We didn’t come to fight.”

“Then why are you here?”

“To find sanctuary,” Lucien said. “Nothing more.”

Selene’s expression twisted, disbelief, maybe rage. Then she started laughing madly.