Stranger (The Aevyanthis Chronicles, Book One)

Prologue

"I beseech thee, the time of the Ascent is near! On the eve of the longest day, we shall cower in the Age of Darkness. Rivers will run dry and fire shall rain from the heavens. No God shall save us. Abandon! Abandon! Light shall abandon us for an eternal night. Only the Four can light the way, lit by a child gifted to us by the stars. What is forgotten shall be remembered. What is shattered shall become one again. Bells! We shall hear the bells as they ring a third time! Only then can the sun rise again."

- Quinn the Raving

***

The demon darted through the forest, led only by his instincts and the trace of a soul. He could taste the heavy static in the air, the clouds above him crackling as they darkened to a sickly green. Around him, the forest whispered a warning of what was to come. He didn't care; he had only one thing on his mind.

An arrow whistled passed, almost clipping him as it buried itself into the trunk of a nearby tree; he was not alone. He had hid from his attackers for days, lurking in the shadows as the men tore their own paths through the wilderness, hunting him as if he were some rabid dog to put down. He smiled bitterly at the thought; they either did not realize who they were hunting, or how hungry he was.

The wind numbed his skin, but like the arrow, he ignored it. He could smell her: such a wonderfully familiar scent drew him towards the black sea. It was faint, but he had no doubt it was hers.

Finally, he thought. After all this time.

Another arrow was fired, this time making its home in his shoulder. He roared as pain shot through his body like wildfire. The trees parted, and he didn't hesitate as he leapt off the cliff side. A barrage of arrows followed.

His body twisted, morphing into a black raven. He spun through the air, wings pumping, scarcely evading the rain of arrows. Away from the cliff's edge, they couldn't reach him anymore, and if the storm doesn't scare them off, he would deal with them when he returned. If he returned. Vortexes spiraled upwards from the sea, tearing holes in the sky. The beasts in the Veil howled as they waged their eternal war above him, confirming his suspicions: a Maelstrom was manifesting itself and he was flying straight into it.

Her scent grew stronger. After all these years of searching, he never once thought that she would be in another world. How very much like her. There was no time for fear. The Maelstrom was the only way to see her again.