Chapter 47: Into the Fire

Claire’s POV

The cold air cut against my skin as I crouched behind a thick tree trunk, my pulse hammering in my ears. The dense forest of Redwater loomed around me, its towering pines stretching endlessly into the darkness. Shadows shifted in the moonlight, and every rustling leaf made my muscles coil with tension.

This mission was simple. In and out. But nothing ever went as planned.

Derek had given me one task: get the supply crates back from the Midnight Moon scouts before the sun came up. However, I now realised that things were much worse than I had anticipated as I observed the enemy camp up ahead.

The number of scouts was not small.

A whole squad of warriors was present.

They were also waiting.

A trap.

My breath caught.

I was familiar with this emotion. The debilitating realisation that I was completely outnumbered. The cold clutch of terror encircling my throat.

As they ascended, the memories drew me back to the night I had fled Midnight Moon. Jared had abandoned me that night.

I was already a hunted person.

I was now heading directly into another hunt.

"Claire."

Through the tiny earpiece I was wearing, Derek's voice crackled softly. There was a hint of tension in his tone, but it was steady.

"You see them?"

I whispered, "Yeah," as I pressed my back against the tree and gripped the dagger strapped to my thigh with tighter fingers.

"How many?"

"Too many."

A pause. Then he spoke in a lower tone. "You can retreat."

I understood his meaning.

My life was more important than this mission. I had an option.

However, what about fear? It was only powerful if you allowed it to prevail.

And I had stopped allowing it to prevail.

"No," I replied. "I'm entering."

Through the earpiece came a curse. "Claire—"

Before he could give me the order to return, I disconnected.

If I wanted to prove myself to Redwater, to Derek, and myself, I had to see this through. 

I lowered the hood of my cloak, gathering my resolve, and slipped forward with silence over the forest floor. The wind shifted, bringing the scent of the enemy warriors. Their happy-go-lucky laughter drifted through the night.

They were unaware of my presence.

Not just yet.

Keeping to the shadows, I made my way around the camp, focusing on the crates close to the middle.

Six men were present. Armed to the teeth.

I was also by myself.

My veins flooded with adrenaline. This was careless. Even stupid.

But I wasn't going to let fear stop me.

I made a quick move, approaching through the trees' cover. I exhaled in slow, deliberate breaths. I had spent weeks training with Redwater’s warriors. I knew how to move unseen, how to strike before the enemy even realized what was happening.

Just one step.

Two.

Then—

Under my boot, a branch broke.

The laughter abruptly stopped.

Over the camp, silence fell.

A warrior's keen eyes scanned the trees as he spun towards me.

"Who's there?"

I didn't hold out.

I lunged, my dagger flashing in the moonlight.

My blade slashed across the first man's throat, interrupting his shout before he could even react. I caught his body before it hit the ground, and hot, metallic blood sprayed against my gloved fingers.

The others hurried.

However, I was quicker.

A second warrior rushed me, his sword raised. I twisted at the last second, dodging the blade as I drove my knee into his gut. He staggered back with a grunt, but I didn't give him time to gather himself. His body went limp as my dagger found its mark between his ribs.

However, there was no longer any element of surprise.

The camp erupted in shouts.

Another man rushed at me, his spear cutting through the air, and I turned just in time. I rolled sideways as the weapon's tip touched my shoulder, barely ducked in time. I forced myself to push through the flare of pain.

I had to get this done.

I spun on my heel and stabbed him in the thigh, causing him to collapse and scream. I struck his skull with my elbow before he could get up.

We're down three.

However, the remaining fighters had stopped hesitating.

I saw the glint of a crossbow pointed directly at me as one of them yelled an order.

Sh*t.

The bolt whizzed past my head, splintering the wood next to me as I dove behind a crate. My pulse pounded, my breathing ragged.

The outcome was not going to be favourable.

Then—

The night broke with a piercing howl.

I clenched my chest.

It wasn't just any howl from a wolf.

It served as Redwater's rallying cry.

With deadly accuracy, shadows rushed through the trees a moment later.

Derek.

As well as his soldiers.

Before the Midnight Moon men could even react, mayhem broke out all around them. The air was filled with screams, snarls, and the clashing of steel.

Beside me, a well-known figure fell, his aroma enveloping me like a shield.

Derek.

His anger blazed in his silver eyes. "I instructed you to retreat."

I gave him a breathless smirk. "Yeah, well, I'm not very good at following instructions."

He clenched his jaw, but a warrior lunged at him before he could argue.

Derek's blade flashed in the moonlight as he moved like a storm. There was no chance for the man.

The battle was over in a matter of seconds.

At Derek's feet, the final Midnight Moon warrior lay still.

The air was heavy with the stench of blood, and silence returned.

Derek's face was unreadable as he faced me. "You might have killed yourself."

"But I didn’t."

He made a thin line with his lips. "Claire, that's not the point."

However, there was another thing in his eyes.

Something I wasn't quite ready to call that.

Before we could even speak, Vaughn came bursting in, panting. "We need to get out of here. We're unsure if there are more of them.

Derek nodded, still staring at me.

"This isn't over," he said quietly.

I came to the same conclusion when we slid into the forest, my heart still racing from the fight with the insight.

The forest was dark, pine-sweet, and blood-laden as we sped across it. With the last ripples of the night's action, my heart was banging against my chest wall like a drummer. My shoulder throbbed like mad with the impact of the Midnight Moon warrior's spear, but I had other things to put on my mind.

Derek walked in front of me with a rigid stance and more acute motions than normal. Since we left the battlefield, he had not spoken, but I could sense the waves of rage radiating from him.

To return to Redwater's boundaries before more Midnight Moon scouts showed up, the others moved in silence. Lucia and Gregor stayed close to our back, and Vaughn stood to the left, his gaze sweeping the trees. Over the past few weeks, I had gained their respect, but after tonight, I wasn't sure where I stood.

Had I shown myself?

Or had I just shown Derek how careless I was?