Chapter 33 Chapter 33 A Warp in Time
Have you noticed that we keep passing the same rock formations? Aurora asked.
I frowned, my gaze shifting back to the stones rising from the earth to our left. Jagged. Split like claws reaching upward. I had marked them in my mind the first time we passed. And then the second.
I have, I answered.
Something wasn’t right.
The road itself hadn’t changed—packed dirt worn smooth by years of trade caravans—but the land around us felt… folded. As if we were moving forward and sideways at the same time, walking through a place that refused to let us leave.
Was this part of the quest?
Aurora’s presence brushed against my thoughts again, slipping easily into my unease. She didn’t need to ask. She was already there, tracing the same patterns I was.
The shadow was still with us.
It clung to the treeline just beyond the wagons, never close enough to be seen clearly, never far enough to lose us. It moved when we moved. Stopped when we stopped. Patient. Watching.
Should we tell Kira? Aurora asked.
I didn’t answer right away.
My attention shifted to Sarah.
She sat across from me in the wagon, her posture calm, but her eyes were fixed on the trees, following something only she could see. The wind lifted strands of her red hair, carrying her scent back to me—warm, grounding, steady. If I hadn’t already known she felt it too, the tension in her shoulders would have told me.
She turned her head and caught me watching her.
“We are aware as well,” I said quietly.
She nodded, sliding closer to me without hesitation, her voice dropping as if the forest itself might be listening. “It’s not friendly. I can feel deep resentment coming from it.”
That settled it.
Kira was already tense, sitting five wagons ahead, her spine straight, her awareness stretched far beyond the road. Thorn sat near her, one part of him in this realm, the rest of him somewhere darker.
Why do you think Shade is following us? Kira asked.
No response.
Her jaw tightened. She tried again.
Do you think we should contact King Rryan? Shade’s actions break the Blood Law that Camazotz put in place.
Still nothing.
Thorn had heard her—I could feel that much—but his attention was locked elsewhere. The in-between realm pulled at him, visions spilling across his awareness faster than words could form. Whatever he was seeing, it wasn’t small.
The wagons creaked to a halt.
The sudden stillness rippled through the caravan, horses stamping nervously, ears pinned back. The wagon master moved swiftly, scanning the perimeter before heading straight toward us.
Toward Sarah.
“Everything okay, Daddy?” she asked when he reached us.
He nodded, but it was the kind of nod meant to reassure, not convince. His eyes flicked to the trees, then back to her.
“I want you in the first wagon,” he said firmly. “Just behind mine.”
She didn’t argue. She gathered her things quickly, efficiently, practiced.
“Both of you, too,” he added, motioning to Aurora and me.
That gave me pause.
We had warriors with us—trained, armed—but none equipped to fight demons if this turned ugly. The fact that he was rearranging the caravan meant he’d already made a decision.
“He’s still out there, Daddy,” Sarah said as we walked forward.
“I know, baby,” he replied, slipping an arm around her shoulders.
“He won’t attack,” I said, certainty settling in my chest. “He knows better than to strike blood-kin of Camazotz.”
They both stopped.
Sarah turned to look at me, surprise flickering across her face.
“You know that name.” He asked.
Before I could answer, Sarah straightened and spoke clearly.
“Daddy, this is Niklaus—son of King Rryan. And his twin sister, Aurora.”
Understanding crossed his face instantly.
He turned to me, studying me with a new weight in his gaze.
“Then you’re exactly where you’re supposed to be.”
He extended his hand. “Ryker.”
I took it, my grip firm.
I knew that name.
Ryker wasn’t just a wagon master.
He was the Alpha King of the Rogues.
The ones who answered to no crown but their own. The ones who walked the line between outlaw and protector. His name carried respect—and fear—across every kingdom border.
Something in my chest eased.
If Shade thought this caravan was easy prey, he’d miscalculated.
Ryker’s gaze shifted briefly to Aurora, then back to me.
“Your father knows the Blood Law well.”
“Yes,” I said. “He helped enforce it.”
Ryker nodded once. “Good.”
Sarah glanced between us, something thoughtful stirring in her eyes. I felt it then—her awareness shifting, reevaluating. Not just me.
Us.
The caravan began moving again, the lead wagons pulling ahead, the rest following in tighter formation. The road twisted once more—and there they were again.
The same rock formations.
Aurora sucked in a breath. “We’re looping.”
“Or being held,” I answered.
The shadow moved again, closer now. I could feel its irritation, its hunger restrained by old laws and older power.
Kira, I reached out, Thorn isn’t answering.
I know, she replied. He’s seeing something. And I don’t think we’re going to like it.
Ahead of us, Thorn stiffened suddenly, his head snapping up as if he’d been struck.
The in-between released him.
His eyes found Kira’s instantly.
“Shade isn’t just following,” he said grimly. “He’s waiting.”
The air thickened.
Waiting—for permission?
For weakness?
Or for us to cross a line we didn’t yet know existed.
I tightened my grip on the edge of the wagon, my gaze returning to Sarah. She met my eyes without fear.
Whatever this quest truly was, whatever trial lay ahead—
We were already in it.
And Shade knew it, too.
I heard Wings beating the air hard, as Vampyrs in full beast form joined us, bowing to Ryker as they filed in. They remained in beast form as they flanked our wagons.
Shade fell back; he knew that we knew he was there. He wasn’t stupid; he wanted no fight with Camazotz. He’d have to find another way to get his revenge. He glared at Niklaus at our wagon's road out of his sight.
“Where are we headed?” I asked Kira.
“Traktor.”
Why did this name sound so familiar?