Chapter 2 — Blood in the Shadows

Lila Rawlins

The Black Lantern Tavern was a crumbling husk of a building on the edge of Willow Falls, its warped shutters and sagging roof threatening to collapse under the weight of years. The flickering lantern mounted above the doorway cast an ominous orange glow over the mud-slicked street, its faint light battling the thick fog that clung to the town like a second skin. Inside, the air reeked of spilled ale, unwashed bodies, and smoke from the fire that crackled weakly in the hearth.

Lila hovered at the door, her heart pounding against her ribs like a war drum. Her fingers curled around the coarse wool of her coat, clutching it tighter as if it could shield her from the stares of the tavern’s rough patrons. She knew she didn’t belong here. The Black Lantern was a place for the desperate and dangerous, and tonight, she was both.

She hesitated, her thoughts flashing to Sam and his trembling voice as he’d told her about Jasper Thorn’s visit. An image of Thorn’s sneer burned in her mind, mocking her failure to protect her brother. The weight of her father’s teachings, his warnings about strength and survival, pressed against her. “Never show fear, Lila,” his voice echoed, and she forced her shoulders back, straightening her posture as if his presence still steadied her.

The faces that turned toward her as she stepped inside were haggard and shadowed, their eyes gleaming with suspicion and malice under the dim, sputtering lantern light. Conversations lulled briefly before resuming in hushed tones, and Lila felt the weight of their gaze even as they pretended to ignore her. She forced her jaw to tighten, summoning every ounce of resolve she had left.

A table near the back caught her eye, its surface scarred with deep knife marks and matted with sticky stains. There, lounging like a spider in the center of its web, sat Jasper Thorn. He was precisely as she remembered him—gaunt and sharp-featured, his smile a hollow mimicry of charm. His greasy black hair clung to his skull, and the dim light glinted off his beady eyes, which tracked her approach with predatory amusement.

“Well, well,” he drawled as she neared, his voice oily and threaded with mockery. “If it isn’t Miss Rawlins, gracing us with her presence. To what do I owe this honor?”

Lila stopped a few feet from the table, her fists clenched at her sides. “I need more time.” The words came out firm but strained, her voice low enough to avoid drawing unnecessary attention.

Jasper leaned back in his chair, tipping it precariously on its hind legs. He studied her with the air of a man who enjoyed watching insects squirm. “More time, is it? You’ve quite the talent for asking, I’ll give you that. But I’m afraid I’ve been far too accommodating already.”

His enforcers loomed behind him, hulking figures with brutish features and hands like iron mallets. One of them cracked his knuckles, the sound unnervingly loud in the otherwise muted tavern. Lila’s pulse quickened, but she kept her ground, her nails digging into her palms.

“I’ll have your money,” she said through gritted teeth. “Just give me until the week’s end.”

Jasper’s grin widened, revealing yellowed teeth. “Have you now? And here I thought you’d already bled your little life dry trying to keep that whelp of a brother fed. Tell me, dear, what’s left for you to pawn? Your coat? Your boots? Your dignity?”

Heat surged in Lila’s chest, her fingers itching to strike him. But Sam’s face flashed behind her eyes, his voice trembling with fear as he’d asked what they were going to do. She couldn’t lose control here—not when so much depended on her keeping calm.

“I’ll find a way,” she said, her voice cold and sharp. “You’ll get what you’re owed.”

Jasper chuckled darkly and leaned forward, his chair legs thudding back to the ground. “I don’t think you quite grasp the situation, Miss Rawlins. Your promises mean nothing to me. If you don’t pay up, I’ll take what I’m owed another way. Perhaps your brother might be worth something, hmm?”

Lila’s stomach twisted, bile rising in her throat. She masked the shiver that ran through her by clenching her fists tighter. “You’ll get your money,” she repeated, her tone as unyielding as iron.

Jasper stared at her for a long moment, the malice in his gaze softening into something more calculating. Then, to her surprise, he laughed—a low, rasping sound that sent a shiver down her spine.

“Such fire,” he said, almost admiringly. “You remind me of your father, you know. Always so determined, so willing to charge headfirst into danger.” He leaned closer, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. “And look where it got him.”

The mention of her father made Lila’s control slip. Her hand shot out, grabbing the edge of the table as she leaned in, her amber eyes blazing. “Say another word about him, and I swear—”

“What?” Jasper interrupted, his grin widening. “You’ll kill me?”

The challenge hung in the air between them, heavy and electric. Lila’s breath hitched, her pulse roaring in her ears. Around the tavern, the murmurs of conversation faded, and she felt the eyes of the other patrons boring into her. She released the table and stepped back, her breath coming in sharp, shallow bursts.

Jasper’s smirk never wavered as he straightened in his chair. “That’s what I thought,” he said, his tone dripping with smug satisfaction.

Lila turned on her heel, ready to leave before the situation could spiral further out of control. But as she moved, Jasper’s hand shot out, grabbing her wrist in a vice-like grip.

“Leaving so soon?” he asked, his voice low and dangerous. “We’re not finished here.”

The contact sent a jolt of anger through Lila, white-hot and blinding. Without thinking, she wrenched her arm free and shoved him backward. The motion was swift and fluid, driven by a strength she hadn’t known she possessed. Jasper’s chair tipped over, sending him sprawling to the floor with a startled yelp.

The tavern erupted into chaos. Jasper’s enforcers surged forward, their massive hands reaching for her, but Lila moved instinctively, her body reacting faster than her mind. She twisted out of their grasp, her movements unnaturally precise, and grabbed the nearest object—an empty glass tankard.

The first enforcer lunged, but Lila swung the tankard with brutal efficiency, shattering it against his temple. He crumpled to the floor, unconscious, as his companion hesitated, clearly reevaluating his approach.

Jasper scrambled to his feet, his face twisted with rage. “You stupid girl,” he spat. “Do you have any idea what you’ve just done?”

Before Lila could respond, he lunged at her, a knife flashing in his hand. The blade caught the dim light as it arced toward her, but something primal surged within her, something dark and unfamiliar.

She sidestepped the attack with ease, her body moving with an agility that defied explanation. Her hands found Jasper’s arm, twisting it sharply, and the knife clattered to the floor. Then, in a single, fluid motion, she shoved him backward with a force that sent him crashing into the edge of the table.

There was a sickening crack as his head struck the corner, and he crumpled to the ground, motionless.

The tavern fell deathly silent. The remaining patrons either shrank back into the shadows or began murmuring amongst themselves in hurried whispers. Her own breath rasped in her ears, loud and uneven, as she stared down at Jasper’s lifeless body.

His eyes were open, glassy and unseeing, and blood pooled around his head, soaking into the filthy floorboards. Lila’s hands trembled as the realization of what she’d done crashed over her.

She’d killed him.

The air in the Black Lantern seemed to grow heavier, pressing down on her like a physical weight. Somewhere in the back of the room, a chair scraped against the floor, followed by the hurried shuffle of footsteps. Whispers rippled through the crowd, but Lila couldn’t make out the words.

Her gaze darted around the room, desperate for an escape, and that’s when she saw him—a figure cloaked in shadow, standing near the far wall. His golden eyes gleamed in the dim light, piercing through the haze of smoke and fear.

He was watching her.

Lila’s heart clenched, but she forced herself to move. She turned and bolted for the door, her boots slipping on the blood-slick floor. The cold night air hit her like a slap as she stumbled into the fog-blanketed street, her mind racing.

Behind her, the faint howl of a wolf echoed through the darkness, sending a shiver down her spine. For the first time, she wasn’t sure if it was the hunters or the hunted she should fear more.