Planning.

Planning.
Darius’ POV

The courtyard of the stronghold was quieter than it had been in days, but it was not the silence of peace. It was the silence of men and women who were gathering their strength, of warriors who sharpened their blades in steady, practised motions, of Lycans who rested with their heads on their paws but whose ears twitched at every sound. The scent of blood still lingered faintly in the air, though the wounded had been tended to and most had already begun to heal. We heal faster than men, faster than most creatures, but Lilith’s poison still clung to some of us, slowing the natural rhythm of our bodies. Aria helps where she can. I walked among them, boots scuffing against the stone, the weight of my sword ever-present at my hip. They looked up at me as I passed, eyes filled with the silent question none dared to speak aloud: When will we march? I gave them nods of acknowledgement, resting a hand on a shoulder here, offering a steady look there. They deserved my strength, my certainty, even if my own thoughts swirled with more questions than answers.
Ethan and Lilith had retreated, but only because they had no choice. The blood moon loomed over us, drawing closer with every breath we took. Five days. Five days before, Lilith would be stronger than any of us could imagine. Five days before her darkness could swell enough to smother the light of Selene’s children forever. We could not allow her at that time.
Aria had told me of her walk earlier, of the girl by the stream who had given her the vial of tears, of how the Moon Goddess herself had stood before her. I had listened in silence, Florence at my side, both of us knowing what such a blessing meant. It was no small thing for Selene to reveal herself so directly. It was no small thing for her to remind Aria that her strength flowed not only from herself but through the bond we shared. Yet, even with Selene’s blessing, even with the healing Aria had poured into our warriors, I could not shake the edge of urgency clawing at me. We could not remain behind these walls, waiting for Lilith to recover, to gather her dark witches, her rogues, her creatures from the pits of shadows. We had to take the fight to her.
I stepped up onto the battlements, overlooking the gate that had been battered in the last clash. It had been repaired, but scars remained in the stone, as though to remind us of the war still ahead. Below, warriors trained in the courtyard, pairs clashing with wooden blades, wolves lunging and grappling, steel ringing against steel. The witches were gathered in smaller circles off to the side, Florence among them, weaving protective spells that shimmered faintly in the air before fading from sight.
“Darius.”
I turned to find Aria climbing the steps to stand beside me. She still carried the look of exhaustion in her eyes, but beneath it there was a new fire, the kind that made me feel as if even the walls around us leaned toward her for strength.
“They are ready,” she said softly, eyes drifting to the warriors below. “But they need rest. Another night, maybe two. After that, we march.”
Her words echoed the same conclusion I had already reached, though hearing them from her steadied the storm within me. “Two days, no more,” I agreed. “Lilith will not wait idly. She’ll be calling to the rogues, the banished, even the creatures that live in the shadows. We must move before her army grows beyond our strength.”
Aria’s hand brushed mine where it rested on the stone. That simple touch carried more weight than a hundred words could. “We will. Together.”
Later that day, I called the captains to the war room. Maps were spread across the long table, ink smudged from too many hands tracing over the same paths. We marked the mountains where Lilith had fled, the valleys that would slow our march, the rivers that cut across the land like barriers. Every path had its dangers, but only one would lead us straight to her before the blood moon rose high.
“This route,” I said, pointing to the narrow pass that cut between jagged cliffs. “It is dangerous, but it is the fastest. We take it, and we reach them in three days. Any slower path, and she will be ready for us.”
One of the captains frowned. “It will leave us exposed on the ridges. If she knows we are coming, she could ambush us.”
I met his gaze steadily. “She already knows we are coming. The difference will be whether we are swift enough to strike before she is fully prepared. That pass will test us, but it will test her as well.”
There was a murmur of agreement around the table, and though some faces still held doubt, no one argued further. They trusted me to lead them, and I would not betray that trust.
When the meeting ended, I remained in the war room alone, staring down at the map long after the others had gone. My hands gripped the table’s edge until my knuckles whitened. I thought of Ethan, his face twisted in hatred, his strength matched against mine in the clash at the gates. He had fought with the desperation of a man who believed the world owed him more than it had given. Lilith had fueled that hatred, twisting it into something darker, sharper. And together, they were dangerous beyond measure. But no matter how dangerous, they would not break us.
I stepped back out into the courtyard as the sun began to sink low, painting the sky in strokes of gold and crimson. The warriors were still at their drills, sweat shining on their skin, growls echoing through the air as they shifted and collided in bursts of raw power. The witches’ chants drifted faintly, weaving strength into the air itself.
Above it all, Aria moved among them like a beacon, her hand on a shoulder, her voice offering quiet reassurance. She belonged to them as much as she belonged to me, and in her presence, I found the unyielding reminder that we would not falter. Tonight, we would rest. Tomorrow we will prepare. The day after, we would march into the mountains where Lilith and Ethan thought themselves safe. Let them lick their wounds in the shadows. Let them whisper their dark promises to the creatures of the night. We would bring the fight to them before the blood moon rose, and this time, we would not let them escape.