Chapter 3 — Rogue Shadows

Claudia

The Moonshadow Forest loomed ahead, its gnarled trees twisting together to form an oppressive canopy that blotted out the last vestiges of the setting sun. Shadows sprawled across the forest floor, their edges shifting as though alive. The air smelled of damp moss and decaying leaves, tinged with the faint metallic tang of magic. Claudia adjusted the strap of her satchel, her mismatched eyes darting across the darkening trail ahead. Her stomach churned, unease coiling tighter with every step. The vision from the gathering played on repeat in her mind—the rogues with the crimson “X,” the black chain, the sickening howl of wolves ripped from themselves. She hadn’t told James everything about it. She couldn’t. Not yet.

Beside her, James strode with the ease of someone utterly confident in his place in the world. His golden-brown hair caught the faint light filtering through the trees, and his broad shoulders swayed casually. He whistled softly, the carefree sound a stark contrast to the tension in Claudia’s chest.

“Do you have to do that?” she muttered, her voice low but sharp.

James cocked an eyebrow, his blue eyes gleaming with mock innocence. “What? Whistling? Is that some new Tribrid rule I should know about?”

Claudia shot him a sideways look, her fingers curling tightly around the satchel strap. “It’s loud. You’ll scare off every animal in a five-mile radius—or draw something worse.”

His smirk widened, infuriatingly playful. “Relax, sis. We’ve patrolled these woods a hundred times. You’re acting like rogues are about to jump out from behind every tree.”

Claudia stopped walking, her mismatched eyes sweeping the forest. The silence pressed against her ears—not just the absence of birds and small creatures, but a silence that felt deliberate. Watching. Waiting. A shiver crawled up her spine. “Do you feel that?” she asked quietly.

James paused, his teasing expression slipping into something more cautious. “Feel what?”

“The forest,” Claudia said, her voice tight. “It’s… wrong. Like it’s holding its breath.”

James tilted his head, his brow furrowing as he scanned the trees. For a moment, she saw a glimmer of concern in his expression. “It’s probably just your—”

A low growl interrupted him, rumbling deep and guttural from somewhere up ahead. The sound was primal, unnatural, and it sent a chill racing through Claudia’s veins. James straightened, his hand instantly dropping to the blade strapped to his hip.

Another growl followed, louder this time. Then, a pair of glowing red eyes emerged from the shadows, glinting like embers in the dark. Claudia inhaled sharply, the wrongness of the creature’s aura washing over her like a wave. The crimson light bled into the surrounding shadows, flickering faintly, and her stomach twisted. It was exactly like her vision.

“Rogues,” she whispered, her voice barely audible.

James stepped in front of her immediately, his body taut with protective instinct. “Stay behind me,” he ordered, his tone firm.

Claudia’s lips curled into a bitter smirk despite the tension clawing at her chest. “I can handle myself, thanks.”

Before he could respond, the rogue charged—its massive, feral body a blur of fur and fangs. The crimson glow in its eyes pulsed violently, like something unseen was pulling its strings, and its claws tore through the underbrush as it lunged for James.

James sidestepped the attack, his blade arcing through the air to catch the rogue’s side. The wolf let out a guttural yelp, but it didn’t stop. It twisted back toward James, foam dripping from its maw, its movements erratic and unnatural. For a fraction of a second, Claudia thought she saw hesitation in the rogue’s jerking limbs, as though it were fighting against itself.

The air around her grew heavier, colder, and her hand instinctively rose to clutch the Shadowstone Pendant at her neck. Beneath the leather sleeves of her jacket, the faint sigils etched into her skin flickered weakly, reacting to the storm of emotions building inside her. The forest seemed to crowd closer, the rustling of the undergrowth now eerily silent.

Another sharp growl snapped her attention to the left. A second rogue burst through the trees, its black fur matted with dried blood. Its glowing red eyes locked onto her, and it lunged with terrifying speed.

Claudia didn’t hesitate. She raised her hand, muttering a sharp incantation under her breath, and the sigils on her arm flared to life, casting an eerie blue glow over the darkened forest. A pulse of crackling energy erupted from her palm, slamming into the rogue and sending it crashing into a tree. The impact left an audible crunch, and the creature slumped to the ground, momentarily stunned.

The first rogue let out a deafening snarl, its attention shifting from James to Claudia. It lunged at her, its claws flashing in the dim light, and the crimson glow in its eyes burned brighter. Claudia’s muscles tensed, her instincts screaming as the wolf, the witch, and the demon within her clamored for release. She felt her Tribrid powers surge, an overwhelming force barely held in check by the Shadowstone Pendant.

Before she could react, James was there, throwing himself between her and the rogue. His blade clashed against its claws with a metallic ring that echoed through the forest. The rogue was unrelenting, its strength surpassing anything natural as it dragged him back a step. The muscles in James’s arms strained as he fought to hold the creature at bay.

“James, move!” Claudia shouted, panic edging her voice.

“I’ve got this!” he snapped, his teeth gritted. But the rogue twisted savagely, its claws raking across his side. James cried out, stumbling back, and the sharp, coppery scent of blood filled the air.

Something inside Claudia snapped. Her breath hitched, her vision narrowing until all she could see was James, bleeding and vulnerable, and the rogue looming over him. The world slowed, the pounding of her heart drowning everything else out. She let the Tribrid powers consume her, the sigils on her arms burning like fire as a surge of energy blasted outward.

Her claws extended, glowing faintly blue, and her senses sharpened to a razor’s edge. She moved faster than thought, tendrils of light snaring the rogue and holding it in place as she struck. Her claws slashed deep into its chest, and the crimson glow in its eyes flickered violently before extinguishing completely. The rogue let out one last, choking snarl before collapsing in a lifeless heap.

For a moment, the forest was eerily still. Claudia staggered back, her chest heaving as adrenaline drained from her limbs. The faint hum of the Shadowstone Pendant settled her, its cool surface pressing against her heated skin.

“You okay?” she rasped, her mismatched eyes darting toward James.

He nodded stiffly, his hand pressed against the wound on his side. “Yeah. Thanks to you.” His voice was tight, but his usual confidence was replaced by something quieter. He met her gaze briefly, something unspoken flickering in his blue eyes—gratitude, guilt, maybe even respect.

Claudia’s attention shifted to the fallen rogue. Something dark glinted in the underbrush near its body. She crouched, brushing away the dirt to reveal a length of black chain etched with crimson runes. The metal was cold against her skin, pulsing faintly with an unnatural rhythm. A wave of dread washed over her, the ominous energy of the chain resonating with her vision.

“James,” she said softly, holding the chain up for him to see. “Look at this.”

James approached cautiously, his expression darkening as he studied the sinister runes glowing faintly in the dim light. “What is it?”

“It’s the same as in my vision,” Claudia said, her voice tight. “The rogues—they’re being controlled.” Her fingers tightened around the chain, its wrongness digging into her as if it were alive. “This is Kael’s work. I can feel it.”

James exhaled, his shoulders stiffening. “Then we need to warn the others. If he’s using magic like this—”

“It’s worse than that,” Claudia interrupted, her tone grim. “This isn’t just control. It’s corruption. And it’s spreading.”

James hesitated, his jaw tightening, before nodding. “Let’s get back to the den. Now.”

Claudia slipped the chain into her satchel as she stood, her mismatched eyes lingering on the fallen rogues. The faint pulse of the chain pressed against her awareness, a chilling reminder of the danger ahead. Something dark was coming, and it was only the beginning.