The wind outside had turned sharp.
Not the kind that whispered through trees or rustled through leaves.
No—this wind cut. It carried weight, intent… and death.
Master stood by the window, unmoving, her silver braid catching the dying light. Her eyes narrowed, tracking something only she could see.
"Irene," she said without turning, "go upstairs. Lock the child in the warded room. Now."
My stomach twisted.
"But what about—"
"Do it. Now."
I didn't argue.
The baby in my arms had stopped giggling. He stared at the window, eyes glowing faintly, his small hand clutching my sleeve.
He knew something was coming too.
I dashed up the stairs, heart thudding in my chest. The attic room wasn't used for years—not since Master sealed it shut with the oldest magic she knew. Not even she had set foot inside.
But today, she'd unsealed it for him.
The moment I stepped through the threshold, the air changed. It was colder here. Time felt slower.
I placed him gently on the old rune-inscribed cradle and pulled a heavy velvet curtain over the window.
Boom.
A noise outside—soft, but deliberate.
Like boots hitting earth.
Then another.
Then three.
I ran to the window and peeked through the curtain's edge.
Figures. Black-cloaked. Masked. Moving soundlessly through the forest.
Their movements were too perfect, too silent.
Assassins.
Vampire-trained. No doubt sent by Alex himself.
They were here for the child.
Downstairs, I could hear Master murmuring low spells, weaving layers of illusion and defense over the cottage. Her magic was strong, ancient. But even it had limits.
Especially against creatures bred for death.
Suddenly—
Crash!
The front ward shattered like glass.
They were here.
I grabbed the baby and backed into the shadows of the attic, wrapping him tight. He didn't cry. He didn't flinch. He just stared at the door as if he could see through it.
And then, without warning—
He glowed.
Just slightly. Just enough that the cradle lit up with soft black-gold light. Symbols rose around him like smoke, wrapping him in silence.
He was protecting us.
Even now… even without understanding it.
I swallowed hard and whispered, "You're not just a baby. You're a weapon."
Downstairs, the air snapped like lightning.
I heard a scream—not from Master—but from one of them.
She was fighting them off.
Alone.
The room below thudded, cracked, and groaned under the force of her spells and their attacks.
I felt it—the pressure in my skull. The signature of vampire combat magic. Brutal. Cold. Fast.
One slip, and she'd be gone.
I held the child tighter.
"You're not dying here," I whispered, standing. "I won't let them take you."
I stepped out of the attic, carrying him in one arm and my staff in the other.
The stairwell was filled with smoke and embers. I could smell blood and metal.
At the bottom of the stairs stood one of them.
A tall, dark figure with a curved blade in one hand and crimson eyes that gleamed through a silver mask.
He turned his head toward me. Slowly. Intentionally.
He saw the child.
His voice rasped out like dry leaves."The king wants the flame."
I raised my staff, forcing my shaking hands to still. "You'll get it—over my dead body."
He tilted his head, amused. Then moved forward.
Fast.
But just before he reached me, the baby screamed.
The world turned white.
A pulse exploded from my arms—black-gold, soundless but violent.
The walls cracked. The assassin was flung back as if struck by a hurricane. He hit the far wall, blade shattered, body still.
I fell to my knees, breath knocked from my lungs.
The child blinked once. Then closed his eyes again, falling into a calm sleep against my chest.
Master rushed into the hallway, bruised, her cloak half-burned, but alive.
She stared at the body across the room. Then at me.
Then at him.
Her voice trembled. "He's no longer hiding himself."
I looked down at the baby.
He slept like he hadn't just unleashed a power strong enough to kill an elite assassin.
But I knew better.
The vampire king would send more. Stronger.
He would burn every forest, shatter every village, break every law—
To find this child.
"Pack everything," Master whispered. "We leave before sunrise."
"Where will we go?" I asked.
She looked at me.
And said the words that sealed our fate.
"To the last place he'll expect—into the heart of vampire land itself."