Chapter 23 Twenty three
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Sara’s POV
Fifteen minutes passed quickly. Too quickly.
Xenon didn’t leave my side once as we moved through the pack house. Ryker had already gathered the team—six warriors, all in dark gear, all carrying weapons meant for speed instead of bulk. They looked prepared for a hunt, not a battle.
Kael checked the gear and maps, his expression sharp and focused. He wasn’t looking at me, but he didn’t have to. The silence he carried said enough. He knew this journey mattered more than any of us wanted to admit.
Xenon turned to him. “Route.”
Kael pointed at the map. “We take the western path first. Thick trees. Less open ground. The Creed prefers open terrain for ambushes. We avoid that.”
Ryker added, “Scouts say the valley is quiet so far, but they found fresh tracks heading in that direction.”
Xenon’s jaw tightened. “They are ahead of us.”
Kael nodded. “Yes. But they do not know the direct route. We do.”
He looked at me for the first time in minutes. “Once we reach the valley, you stay near that pendant. It is the only thing that can stabilize the memory.”
Xenon shot him a sharp look. “You do not speak to her like she is a tool.”
Kael didn’t flinch. “She is not a tool. But she is the key.”
I intervened before Xenon reacted again. “Both of you can stop. I know why I am going.”
Xenon exhaled, steadying himself. “We leave.”
We stepped outside. The night air was cold but clear, the sky heavy with low clouds that hid the moon. The forest in the distance looked darker than usual. The kind of dark that had weight.
Xenon motioned to me. “Stay behind me.”
I nodded.
The group moved fast. No one spoke. The crunch of leaves beneath our boots and the distant cry of an owl were the only sounds. Xenon walked ahead of me, his pace controlled, his movements precise. He checked the surroundings every few seconds, never relaxing.
Kael walked to my left. Ryker stayed behind us. The rest spread out in a formation that covered all angles. It was clear this wasn’t just an escort. It was protection designed for something far worse than any normal threat.
As we reached the forest line, Kael signaled for a stop. “We continue on foot from here. No torches. No noise.”
The warriors nodded.
Xenon stepped closer to me. “If anything feels wrong, you tell me immediately.”
“I will.”
“Not later,” he added. “Immediately.”
His tone wasn’t controlling. It was specific. He was preparing for a danger neither of us had seen yet.
We started walking again.
The western path was narrow and lined with heavy pines. Branches brushed against my shoulders. The smell of damp earth and cold wind filled the air. Every few minutes, Ryker or one of the warriors checked behind us, scanning for movement.
After nearly half an hour, Kael raised a hand.
“Stop.”
We froze.
He crouched, touched the ground, and lifted his fingers to show us a faint smear of dark brown.
Blood.
Xenon moved forward, eyes sharp. “Fresh.”
Kael nodded. “Minutes old.”
Ryker checked the nearby trees. “No body.”
“Creed,” Xenon said.
Kael shook his head. “No. This scent is wrong. Too muted. Too controlled.”
I stepped closer. “What does that mean.”
Kael looked up. “It means someone tried to hide the scent on purpose.”
Xenon growled low in his chest. “Shadow walkers.”
Kael stood. “Possibly. Or something worse.”
Xenon looked at me. “Stay close.”
We continued.
The terrain grew steeper, the trees denser. The air felt heavier too, like something unseen was watching us.
At one point, a sudden wave of pressure passed through me. Not a memory. Not a flash. Just a tight feeling in my chest.
I grabbed Xenon’s arm. “Wait.”
He turned immediately. “What is it.”
“I felt something.”
Kael stepped closer. “Describe it.”
“Pressure,” I said. “Like the air changed.”
Xenon looked around the clearing. “Ryker.”
Ryker nodded and signaled to the warriors. They fanned out, checking the edges of the trees.
Kael knelt again. “Sara. Look at me. Was the pressure internal or external.”
“External,” I said. “Like the air thickened for a second.”
Kael stood. “We are close. The valley has a boundary. You felt it.”
Xenon looked at me sharply. “Do you feel pain.”
“No.”
“Dizziness.”
“No.”
He nodded. “Good. Stay with me.”
We moved again, this time slower. The pressure grew with each step. It wasn’t painful. It was awareness. The distinct feeling of entering a place tied to something old.
Finally, the trees opened.
The valley stretched ahead of us.
Tall stone pillars rose from the ground like ancient markers. Some were cracked. Others had carvings I didn’t recognize. The air inside the valley felt colder than the forest behind us, as if the place had its own atmosphere.
Kael stepped forward. “This is it.”
Xenon didn’t let go of my hand as we walked into the valley. He looked at each stone like he expected an enemy to step out of its shadow.
Ryker motioned toward the left. “Tracks here. At least three.”
Kael nodded. “Creed scouts.”
Xenon glanced at me. “Focus. What do you feel.”
I took a breath and tried to listen to the quiet inside myself.
A tug.
A pull.
Not a flash, but the beginning of one.
“There,” I said, pointing toward a tall, narrow stone at the far end of the valley. “Something is there.”
Xenon nodded. “Stay behind me.”
As we moved toward the stone, something shifted in the air. The pressure rose sharply.
Kael looked at the warriors. “Prepare. Something is here.”
Before anyone could react, Ryker shouted, “Movement—left side!”
A shadow darted between two stones.
The warriors charged.
Xenon grabbed my wrist and pulled me behind a pillar. “Stay low.”
My pulse raced.
More movement.
Quick.
Fast.
Too fast to be wolves.
Kael muttered under his breath. “Shadow walkers.”
Xenon readied his blade. “We eliminate them first.”
I peeked around the stone. A figure sprinted past, gray clothes blending into the valley’s color. No scent. No sound. No hesitation.
Three more shapes emerged.
Ryker met one head-on and shoved him into a pillar. The other warriors engaged two more.
Xenon stepped in front of me. “Do not move.”
“I won’t.”
But something else caught my attention.
The stone I had pointed to earlier began to vibrate slightly.
I stepped toward it without thinking.
“Sara!” Xenon grabbed my arm. “Get back.”
“I felt something.”
“Sara—”
A pulse hit my chest.
My breath caught.
It wasn’t a memory.
It was recognition.
The stone shifted.
A seam appeared down the center.
And then, slowly, a section slid open, revealing a small hollow space inside.
Xenon stared at it, stunned. “What is that.”
Kael approached quickly. “Alpha. That is the box her mother sealed.”
My knees felt weak.
Xenon held my arm. “Do not touch it yet.”
Kael stepped forward. “She needs to. She is the only one who can open it.”
Ryker joined us, wiping blood from his blade. “Shadow walkers are down.”
“Good,” Xenon said without looking away from the stone. “No one approaches except Sara.”
My hands trembled as I reached toward the box.
The stone was warm.
Not warm from sunlight.
Warm like a heartbeat.
Kael whispered, “Your mother left whatever she feared most inside that box. Be careful.”
I swallowed.
Xenon stood close enough for his shoulder to brush mine. “When you open it, step back. Do not lean in.”
“Alright.”
I placed both hands on the stone and felt it give way.
The lid lifted.
Inside was a folded piece of cloth and a small, sealed vial made of old glass.
Kael inhaled sharply. “That is not a message.”
Xenon frowned. “Then what is it.”
Kael answered quietly.
“It is a memory container.”
I stared at the vial.
Xenon stepped closer. “What does that mean.”
Kael looked at me with a seriousness I had never seen from him.
“It contains a memory your mother removed from herself. And she left it for you.”
My stomach twisted.
Xenon’s voice hardened. “Removed. Why would she remove a memory.”
Kael gave the only explanation possible.
“Because she did not want the Creed to ever know what she saw.”
I touched the vial.
And the moment my fingers brushed the glass—
Everything inside me shifted.
Not violently.
Not painfully.
But in a way I understood immediately.
This memory was mine.
My mother meant it for me alone.