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Echoes Beneath the Stone

Penulis: Halley Valentine
last update Terakhir Diperbarui: 2025-09-06 04:02:41

The next night by the fire outside stood Rio, Lucien, Claude, and Thomas.

“I’m heading out to gather more recruits. We’ll need as many as we can get and I know some ol’ soldiers that owe me debts. So I’m off to collect,” Thomas said.

“Be safe, brother!” Lucien said with a heavy voice.

“Always!” Thomas picked up his bag and disappeared into the darkness.

A little while later.

The underground chamber off to the side of the camp was silent, except for the drip of water echoing off stone.

Rio sat on the edge of the old altar, shirt clinging to his skin with sweat and blood. His golden eyes burned dimly, exhausted from Lucien’s brutal training.

A shadow stirred at the doorway.

“Rio.”

It was Odessa.

He didn’t look at her.

“What do you want?”

She stepped into the faint candlelight, her dark skin luminous against the cold stone. There was no trace of her usual steel. Her posture was loose, almost uncertain.

“We need to talk.”

“I’m busy,” Rio said flatly.

“This isn’t about training.”

Her voic
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  • Blood Beneath the Cypress Knees   When Blood Calls Home

    “Keep moving!” Lucien shouted above the din. “We can’t let her pin us down!”Claude staggered as a blast of emerald fire seared his shoulder, the acrid smell of burning flesh filling the air. He gritted his teeth and kept fighting, his blade dripping blood that steamed as it hit the cold night air.Rio felt the sting of magic too—a curse brushing his mind like icy fingers. His vision blurred, his limbs momentarily heavy. He growled and forced the fog away. His bloodline wouldn’t let him falter.But Vera’s defenses were monstrous.Roots lashed out like living serpents, dragging screaming bodies beneath the surface of the swamp. Human militia fired rifles wildly as shadows struck them down from above. Witches shrieked curses in old tongues before Odessa silenced them with her claws. For every creature they felled, two more seemed to rise.“Damn witch,” Odessa hissed, her golden eyes scanning the trees. “She’s bleeding us dry before we even reach her.”Rio stumbled as his boot caught o

  • Blood Beneath the Cypress Knees   Night Calls Her Name

    The mansion buzzed with restless energy. Weapons gleamed in the lamplight, spells hummed under muttered breaths, and the air carried the metallic tang of anticipation.But across the grand hall, Junie sat apart—still, silent, her emerald eyes locked on Rio as he moved like a storm through the room. He looked lethal, the sharp planes of his face set in grim determination, but she saw the worry in his gaze every time it flicked her way.Simone was the first to break the heavy silence, her warm hand brushing Junie’s arm. “I have a plan,” she whispered.Rio’s eyes narrowed when Simone brought her plan to him in the war room.“You want to take Junie into town?” His voice was low but sharp, cutting through the crackle of maps and murmured strategies.“I know a doctor,” Simone said steadily. “A vampire. One who owes me a debt. She can get us medical supplies, blood reserves, things Junie will need soon. The route’s quiet—I’ve used it before.”“It’s too risky.”Simone didn’t flinch. “Leaving

  • Blood Beneath the Cypress Knees   Sage and Cypress Smoke

    The clearing still carried the faint scent of sage and cypress smoke. Where Marais’s bier had burned now lay only blackened ash, scattered petals, and melted candles.Silas knelt in the center, his carved ashwood staff resting across his knees. His fingers traced the damp earth as he murmured soft, ancient prayers—hoping Marais’s soul had found peace.Behind him, Jonah stood rigid, arms crossed tightly over his chest. His face was pale, streaked with tears that refused to dry. “She’d be proud of you,” Silas said gently, without turning.Jonah’s voice cracked as the words left him. “She should’ve lived to see all this. She should be here.”Silas glanced over his shoulder, his golden eyes solemn.“Then make her sacrifice matter. Let me teach you—help you become the witch, and the man, she believed in.” Jonah hesitated, jaw trembling. Then he nodded sharply, his voice hard. “Teach me. I want to make them pay.”Farther from the others, Adonis sat silent on the mansion steps. His golden eye

  • Blood Beneath the Cypress Knees   For Marais

    The vines pulled tighter. Marais gasped, ribs cracking. Her magic flickered faintly at her fingertips before dying entirely.“Forgive me…” she whispered.Then with a sickening rip, one arm tore free. Marais’s scream was raw agony. Another vine twisted savagely, ripping her leg clean off. Blood sprayed like dark rain.Simone sobbed, crawling forward. “Marais—no! Hold on! Please!”But Marais’s wide eyes locked on hers, and a faint smile tugged her bloody lips. “Protect Junie… finish this… for me.”The vines twisted again—and her body tore apart, pieces raining down in the mud.A roar split the night.Rio.The floodlights shattered as Lucien and Adonis descended like storms. Rio’s claws tore through human flesh, his golden eyes blazing.But Vera only laughed. “Too late, little Valentine.”In a swirl of ash and fire, she vanished, her laughter echoing as the men slaughtered the last militia standing.The swamp was painted red.Rio’s claws shredded the first soldier he reached, tearing thr

  • Blood Beneath the Cypress Knees   Blood Ran the Swamp

    The night air was thick with the scent of moss and something sharper…fear. Odessa crouched low at the tree line, her golden eyes catching faint reflections of moonlight.Beside her, Marais tied back her golden curls, flashing a grin that didn’t quite reach her eyes.Simone stood slightly apart, fingers brushing the gold locket that rested against her chest—a tiny keepsake from a time long before fangs and darkness.“They’re close,” Simone whispered, her voice low but steady. “I smell iron… and rot.”“Rot?” Marais arched a brow. Odessa nodded grimly. “Men like them always smell that way. They’ve been spilling blood long before they even knew vampires existed.”Back at the mansion, Junie stood at the window, hands protectively cradling her belly. She hated feeling so helpless. “They’re doing this for you,” Adelaide murmured, stepping up behind her. “Let them hunt. You’ll need the strength soon.” Junie’s emerald eyes glinted faintly in the moonlight. “I hate that it has to be this way.

  • Blood Beneath the Cypress Knees   As the Hearth Grows

    The gates groaned as they opened.From the misted swamplands came the rebels Adonis had rescued from Luna’s suffocating darkness. Their steps were unsure, their eyes adjusting to freedom and the strange warmth of their welcome.Jonah stumbled first into the light of the mansion’s torches. The boy’s face was still bruised, blood drying in a line down his jaw. His wild green eyes darted like a trapped animal’s, though his thin frame vibrated with determination. A witch-born child, turned barely weeks before Luna’s downfall. He clutched the sleeve of Silas’s coat tightly.“Jonah…” Odessa said softly, crouching to his level. “You’re safe now.”His lips trembled, but no sound came.Behind him came Marais—her dark eyes sharp and defiant, crimson velvet clinging to her tall frame like armor. She was the first to side with Adonis in Luna’s lair, and her confidence had been a rallying point for the others.“Not exactly the royal welcome I pictured,” she drawled, scanning the mansion. “But I su

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