Chapter 77 Korvus

Chapter 77 Korvus
Lara

I woke up screaming. My body jerked upright violently while panic clawed through my chest hard enough to make breathing painful. Beside me, Elijah reacted instantly.
“Lara.”
Strong hands caught my arms before I could fully pull away from the nightmare. The room slowly came back into focus but my heartbeat refused to calm down.
“Elijah,” I whispered shakily.
His expression tightened immediately the moment he saw my face.
Another nightmare.
He knew before I even spoke.
“What happened?”
I pressed a trembling hand against my chest while trying to steady my breathing.
“He was there again.”
Elijah stayed completely focused on me.
“The same men?”
I nodded quickly before swallowing hard.
“But this time one of them came closer.”
The atmosphere inside the room shifted instantly.
Elijah’s jaw tightened slightly. “Closer how?”
“I saw his face.”
Cold fear crawled through me all over again just saying it aloud. Elijah remained silent for a moment.
“What did he look like?”
“Silver eyes,” I answered quietly. “And these dark markings near his neck.”
My fingers brushed instinctively against the side of my own throat.
The room became still.
“He spoke again,” I whispered.
Elijah’s eyes sharpened immediately.
“What did he say?”
I looked down briefly at my shaking hands.
“He said he finally found me.”
Silence settled heavily between us afterward.
Elijah reached toward me slowly before brushing his thumb lightly against my wrist.
“You’re safe.”
Normally, hearing him say that calmed me instantly. Tonight it didn’t, because even now, I could still hear that man’s voice inside my head.
“I need to see Ma Prudy.”
The words escaped before I fully thought them through.
Elijah frowned slightly. “Now?”
“Yes.”
“It’s late.”
“I don’t care.”
My voice cracked near the end despite trying to steady it.
For a moment, Elijah simply looked at me. Then finally, he nodded once.
“Get dressed.”
Relief hit me embarrassingly fast.
The village was silent beneath the snowfall by the time we stepped outside. Cold wind brushed sharply against my face while Elijah led me toward the stables near the western side of Moonlight territory.
The deeper unease inside my chest only worsened with every passing second. This was no longer just a nightmare. Somehow, impossibly, it felt real.
The stable doors creaked open as Elijah entered first. Several horses shifted quietly inside while lantern light flickered softly across the wooden walls.
“You’re shaking again,” Elijah murmured while saddling one of the horses.
“It’s cold.”
“That’s not why.”
Annoying man.
I wrapped my coat tighter around myself while watching him work. Even now, half-awake in the middle of the night, Elijah moved with calm confidence like nothing truly unsettled him.
I envied that sometimes.
By the time we left Moonlight territory, snow had begun falling harder. The path toward the Elf Village stretched dark and quiet beneath the winter sky while the horses moved steadily through the forest trails. Elijah rode slightly ahead at first before eventually slowing enough for our horses to move side by side.
Neither of us spoke much. Mostly because my thoughts kept circling back to those silver eyes.
And the name.
Korvus.
The moment I said it inside the dream, the man smiled like he had been waiting for me to recognize him.
The memory sent another chill through me. Elijah noticed immediately. Without speaking, his hand brushed lightly against mine for a brief moment before returning to the reins.
The Elf Village finally came into view nearly an hour later.
Soft glowing lanterns hung between the trees while elegant wooden homes blended almost naturally into the forest itself. Even at this hour, faint music drifted somewhere through the village carried gently by the wind.
Normally, I loved this place. Tonight, dread sat too heavily inside me to appreciate it properly.
Ma Prudy’s home stood near the far edge of the village surrounded by glowing herbs and strange hanging charms that shifted softly in the wind.
The lights inside were already on. That alone unsettled me immediately.
She was awake.
Elijah knocked once before the door opened almost instantly.
Maria stood there first.
And the moment her eyes landed on me, her expression changed.
Fear.
Not surprise.
Not confusion.
Fear.
Cold dread settled sharply in my stomach.
“She’s here,” Maria said quietly over her shoulder.
The words made my chest tighten immediately.
She’s here.
Like they expected me. Elijah’s posture shifted subtly beside me. We stepped inside quickly afterward.
Warmth filled the house immediately along with the scent of herbs and smoke. Max stood near the fireplace unusually tense while Ma Prudy remained seated at the table surrounded by scattered parchment and potion bottles.
The moment her eyes landed on me, the color drained slightly from her face.
“Son,” Ma Prudy said carefully, “give us a moment.”
“No. Say it all to my face and I’m not leaving her side.”
The answer came immediately. Ma Prudy looked like she wanted to protest before eventually sighing softly.
“Fine.”
Silence settled heavily across the room afterward.
And suddenly I realized something horrifying. They already knew. The realization made my voice quieter when I finally spoke.
“I saw him again.”
Maria lowered her gaze immediately. Even Max stiffened near the fireplace. Ma Prudy closed her eyes briefly, as if the words physically pained her.
My stomach dropped.
“You know who he is, don’t you?”
The fire crackled softly through the silence while snow brushed faintly against the windows outside.
Then finally, Ma Prudy looked at me again.
“What exactly did you see?”
I swallowed hard.
“The fog. The men.” My voice shook slightly. “But this time I saw his face clearly.”
Ma Prudy’s hands tightened around the edge of the table.
“And?”
“Silver eyes,” I whispered. “Dark markings near his neck.”
Maria inhaled sharply. Max muttered something quietly under his breath. It was obvious that they all knew this stranger that has been haunting me for the longest time. Elijah’s posture became noticeably tenser beside me. He knew something was not right.
Then finally… I said the name.
“Korvus.”
The entire room froze.
“Who is he?” I asked and Ma Prudy cleared her throat.
“He’s a very dangerous warlock. The same one that poisoned your other friend.”
Ron
“The one that caused the battle in the Silverheart pack.” She continued. “Just know that if he is suddenly back then there will be bloodshed.”