To recap: I ended part seven of this tale with Red taking a hostage in order to set her daughter free. No, she didn't kill him. (In case you were wondering. Consider it as a chess move; Queen takes pawn to rescue Knight. (No, I don't play chess, so if that move exists, please let this author know, I might have to eat the hat 👇🏻)

Red's vengeance

Chapter one

Part One

Red and Vander, worn out but still riding the adrenaline, drag the unconscious warlock through the compound’s gates. Cinders rushes toward them, her face alight with relief.

“You did it!” she exclaims, her joy palpable. The mission she once thought impossible had finally succeeded. But the smiles she expected are nowhere to be found. Despite outwitting the warlock, a shadow still looms over them.

“Damn,” she mutters softly. “It’s never that simple, is it?”

“Keep your chin up, kid,” Red says, her voice hard with determination. “We’re not stopping until I have my daughter back. Besides, we have a hostage now. Whether his lover cares enough to come for him—well, we’ll see about that.”

Vander stiffens at Red’s words, his pale face betraying the guilt gnawing at him. He knows her too well, certain she’s hinting at something deeper—a lesson meant for him. In his mind, he wants to scream that he would gladly trade places with Shadows, no matter the cost. Yet his werewolf instincts, the mature, wiser part of his being, urge him to stay silent.

A quiet reminder that in time, Red will see him for who he truly is.

But the secret weighs heavy on him. Since "the change," he has always been viewed as a weapon—or worse, not seen at all. The guilt lingers, an unspoken truth lodged deep within his heart. That he will always be seen as a weapon, or not at all. ¹

Part two : Revealing faces

As the silence between them grows heavy, Cinders’ curiosity becomes too much to bear. Red, sensing this, gives a nod, allowing her to remove the hood from their captive.

With a mix of fear and revulsion, Cinders reaches up, yanking the hood off the warlock. The moment their eyes meet, she gasps.

“You!” they exclaim in unison.

“Yes, me,” the warlock sneers. “Nice to see you again, princess. You’re even more stunning without that Voodoo priestess mask, but I’m sure you already knew that.”

Before he can say another word, Red steps forward, her fury barely contained as she shoves him to the ground. “That’s enough!”

Red’s voice softens slightly as she turns to Cinders. “Now do you see why I had to return? These desperate creatures will always seek to drain your light—those who follow, not out of loyalty, but with malice festering in their hearts.”

Cinders nods vigorously, trying to suppress the bile rising in her throat. “He’s the one. He’s the one who killed those children.”

Her fear suddenly turns to rage as she glares at the warlock. “Why? What twisted desire turned you into... this?”

Red places a steadying hand on Cinders’ shoulder. “We may never know why, Cinders. You can feel the evil. It’s harder to understand the reasons behind it. But that’s behind us now. Our focus is on freeing Shadows.”

Part Three: Divide and Conquer

Now we're faced with a dilemma. He won't survive long on sacred ground. Yet, I'm sure I know who he has on the inside.

Speaking to Cinders in hushed tones, a hurried conversation unfolds. After which, Cinders goes to seek the healing witch, Milk.

She understands her task, but she wishes Red had given her clearer instructions. "Lure the witch, bring her here." Easier said than done. Red told her that if the witch, Milk, was truly bound to this monster, she would already know of his distress. Once again, Cinders is put to the test.

She needs to be careful. Red had given her a stern talking-to— Do not put yourself in danger. Don't, under any circumstance, become a victim of the witch's fury. Never, ever, underestimate her power.

Acutely aware of the danger, she slips through the compound. The damp night air clings to her skin, thick with the smell of wet earth and iron. What she encounters is not a sight for the weak. The entrails of animals— a quick sigh of relief, it’s only animals—lay scattered across the bloodstained grass. The stench of death lingers, and the crimson trail snakes deeper into the woods, leaving an unmistakable path to Milk's hideaway. Her dread deepens.

"I'm walking into a trap," she thinks to herself, her pulse quickening. The sounds of anguish seem to whisper through the trees. She stops, wondering if it’s just her imagination. But no—there— a faint, a moan carried on the wind. She braces herself, reaching into the humid, cloying darkness that seems to press down on her from all sides.

"Milk?" she calls out softly, her voice trembling despite herself. "What’s the problem?"

Silence greets her.

When she finally finds Milk, kneeling in the clearing, it’s not what she expected. An ornamental dagger is turned on herself, its silver edge catching the faint light. Cinders’ breath catches. "Don’t do it, Milk!" she implores.

At the sound of her name, Milk looks up. Her eyes are wild—an intense look of loss, mingled with grim determination. The witch’s voice, when it comes, is hoarse, choked with grief.

"He used me! You all used me." Her words are broken, but the bitterness cuts deep. "As soon as he saw Shadows, I felt it. She’s bewitched him." Milk’s voice trembles, her knuckles white around the hilt of the dagger. "We had plans to escape together... He promised to make all the memories go away. Now, what do I have? Empty words and rejection?"

Cinders feels a pang of sympathy she hadn’t expected. She doesn’t know what to say, her thoughts racing. But when she speaks, her own words surprise her.

"So, he used you? Two can play that game." Her voice is steadier now. "Help us, and I’ll make sure you survive." She bites her tongue on that last statement, knowing full well that Milk’s survival is not something she can promise.

Milk’s gaze darkens as she glares at Cinders. "You have no idea," she snarls. "I wasn’t going to kill myself. I..." Her breath hitches, and her voice cracks with despair. "I just can’t bear the thought of the "thing" growing inside of me. It’s eating me alive. Its power—it’s killing me."

Cinders did not expect this revelation. Her stomach churns at the thought. Still, she is bound—by blood, by oath—to Red, to Shadows, to the Spider who saved her life. And now, she must convince Milk to help.

"Help us to help you," she pleads, her voice low, almost desperate.

Milk shakes her head, tears streaming down her face. "I’ll help you," she whispers, broken, "but I need a promise."

Cinders dreads the next words. She can feel them hanging in the air, the weight of them pressing down like an invisible force. Milk’s next request is not one she could have predicted.

"Raise him for me," Milk murmurs, her voice trembling with both hope and resignation. "Teach him the way of the light."²

Part Four: Solutions are never easy

For a moment, Cinders is stunned into silence. The words hang between them like a curse, binding and inescapable. The enormity of the request hits her like a blow. Raise him? Teach him light? How could she promise something like that? She swallows hard, her throat dry, her heart pounding.

"This is impossible."

But what choice does she have?

She looks into Milk’s tear-streaked face, seeing not just a witch, but a broken girl, clinging to the last vestiges of hope. Cinders nods slowly, feeling the gravity of the promise settle into her bones, heavy as lead.

"I’ll do what I can," she whispers, knowing full well that the words may be a lie. "But you have to help us stop this nightmare."

Milk closes her eyes, her hands trembling as she lowers the dagger. Tears flow freely now, her strength spent. "I’ll help you," she whispers. "But please... don’t let me lose him."

The beginning of the end

A trailer of chapter two

With a heavy heart, Red left Vander behind to guard the warlock and made her way back to Shadow’s side. The urgency of the situation weighed on her like lead, each step a reminder of how fragile time had become.

She kneels before the prison, her claws instinctively curling around the iron bars that held Shadows captive. Her eyes searched the darkness, but Shadows remained out of sight, obscured in the gloom. Red’s concern deepened.

"Where are you?" she thought, dread gnawing at the edges of her composure.

"We’re close to freeing you," she communicated psychically, her words carrying a desperate edge. Hang in there, my child.

For a brief, agonizing moment, there was nothing. But then, like the faintest flicker of a dying flame, Red felt a response. Relief flooded her, though it was tempered by the weakness she sensed through the bond. Shadows—strong as she was—seemed to be fading faster than Red could have anticipated.

She could feel the despair creeping in, the hope slipping away. Shadows was losing faith, and that terrified Red more than the prison or the warlock.

"Not long now, my child," Red whispered into the psychic void, her voice tender but firm. "We’ll soon be reunited. Vander misses you the most. He’s a fine choice." As she said those words, she felt a faint shift—a small but unmistakable lift in Shadows’ spirit.

It wasn’t much, but it was enough.

Red kept speaking, refusing to let the silence settle between them. "Your father has been waiting here for you, too. In fact, if all else fails, one of us will come down there. We are *not* giving up, so don’t you dare." Her voice hardened with resolve.

For now, it was a mostly one-sided conversation, but Red didn’t care. She needed Shadows to feel that connection, no matter how faint. If her words were the only tether keeping Shadows from slipping into the abyss, then she would speak until her throat ran dry, until her mind was spent.

She wouldn’t lose her—not like this.

"But promises are made in the dark. And no one survives without a price."

∳To be continued.

Footnotes:

1 - something more people relate to as this year comes to an end

2 - non religious, more a reference to a style of living

~ As written by Resigner Luth, Bounded by Blood, The Revenge Saga © September, 5, 2024.

Please keep reading at https://resignerluth.space or alternatively at https://ultraviolet.ink

Resigner 💜

#justmoveforward

You've been here before, kick off those shoes. Take a deep breath and enjoy the read, knowing that my stories right themselves for the better.

I wish to thank the original creators. It is not my intent to infringe on any copyright, nor do I intend to profit from your work. The art and the words remain mine. Thank you for keeping the music alive