Chapter 6: The First Person I Save

The first person I was supposed to lose was already standing in front of me.

And this time, I refused to let her die.

Mira stared at me from across the small kitchen table, her fingers wrapped tightly around a cup of untouched tea.

“You're frightening me, Seraphine.”

I couldn't blame her.

I had spent the last hour asking questions that made no sense to the woman sitting across from me.

What time did she leave the house seven years ago?

Which road did she take?

Who did she speak to?

What color was the carriage that passed her?

Where was Captain Rowan that afternoon?

Every detail mattered.

Because I remembered what happened next.

In my first life, Mira died three days from now.

Not in battle.

Not from a rogue attack.

Not from disease.

She was murdered.

Her body had been discovered near the eastern bridge, her throat cut and her blood drained into a silver bowl.

At the time, everyone believed it was the work of rogues.

I had believed it too.

But now I knew better.

Mira had discovered something.

Something connected to Damon.

Something connected to the Blood Moon.

And someone had killed her before she could tell me.

I looked into her frightened eyes.

“You're not going to the eastern bridge tomorrow.”

Her eyebrows pulled together.

“What?”

“Don't go there.”

“I wasn't planning to.”

“You were.”

She froze.

I swallowed.

That was another memory.

In my first life, Mira had told me she was going to the eastern bridge to meet a merchant who owed her father money.

She never came home.

I reached across the table and grabbed her hand.

“Mira, promise me.”

Her expression softened.

“Promise you what?”

“Promise me you won't go anywhere alone for the next few days.”

She laughed nervously.

“Seraphine, what happened to you?”

I almost told her.

I almost told her that I had watched her die.

That I had held her cold hand.

That I had screamed her name until my voice disappeared.

That I had spent seven years believing I could have saved her if I had only known the truth sooner.

Instead, I whispered,

“I had a nightmare.”

Her smile disappeared.

“The same nightmare?”

My heart stopped.

“What do you mean?”

She looked down.

“The one you told me about.”

“What did I tell you?”

Mira hesitated.

“You said you saw blood.”

My pulse quickened.

“What else?”

“You said there was a woman standing beside a gate.”

I stared at her.

“The Blood Moon Gate?”

She nodded slowly.

“Yes.”

The room suddenly felt colder.

“Did I say anything else?”

Mira's face became pale.

“You kept repeating one sentence.”

“What sentence?”

She looked directly into my eyes.

“You said, ‘Don't let him open the gate.’”

I couldn't breathe.

That sentence had never appeared in my memories.

At least, not until now.

My first life wasn't simply repeating itself.

Something was changing.

And perhaps my return had already altered the future.

A loud knock struck the front door.

Mira jumped.

I stood immediately.

“Stay here.”

“Seraphine—”

“Stay.”

I moved toward the door, every instinct screaming that something was wrong.

I opened it.

Captain Rowan stood outside.

His face was grim.

“My lady.”

“What happened?”

He glanced past me toward Mira.

Then he lowered his voice.

“We found something.”

My stomach tightened.

“What?”

He handed me a folded piece of parchment.

I opened it.

There was a drawing.

A black crescent surrounding a red moon.

The same symbol I had seen on the floor.

The same symbol from my vision.

Below it were three words.

THE FIRST BLOOD.

I looked at Rowan.

“Where did you find this?”

“In the northern forest.”

My fingers tightened around the parchment.

“Who found it?”

“One of the hunters.”

“Is he alive?”

Rowan's silence answered me.

My blood turned cold.

“No.”

He shook his head.

“His body was found this morning.”

Mira came toward us.

“What happened?”

I quickly folded the parchment.

“Nothing.”

Rowan looked at me sharply.

He understood the lie but said nothing.

I turned toward him.

“Take six guards and stay outside this house.”

“My lady?”

“No one comes in without my permission.”

“And where are you going?”

I looked toward the window.

The sun was beginning to disappear behind the mountains.

“To the eastern bridge.”

Rowan's eyes widened.

“You told me never to go there.”

“I changed my mind.”

“That's exactly what I was afraid you'd say.”

I gave him a faint smile.

“Then come with me.”

We reached the eastern bridge just before sunset.

The river below was unusually quiet.

Too quiet.

I remembered this place.

In my first life, I had come here three days after Mira's death.

I had found her necklace caught between two rocks.

That necklace was supposed to be there.

Except this time, it wasn't.

I stepped closer to the edge.

“Something's wrong.”

Rowan crouched near the riverbank.

“What?”

“The necklace.”

“What necklace?”

“Mira's.”

His expression changed.

“You've never told me she lost one.”

I stared at the water.

“Because she hasn't lost it yet.”

A branch snapped behind us.

Rowan immediately drew his sword.

“Show yourself!”

Nothing.

Then a stone flew from the trees.

Rowan deflected it.

“Stay behind me.”

Three shadows moved between the trees.

My heart pounded.

“Rogues?”

“No.”

Rowan's voice was low.

“They're wearing black.”

The figures stepped forward.

Black masks covered their faces.

And on each of their chests was the same symbol.

A black crescent.

A red moon.

One of them raised a blade.

“Blood Moon blood.”

My breath caught.

“They know who I am.”

Rowan moved in front of me.

“Run.”

“No.”

“My lady!”

“I didn't come here to run.”

The masked man charged.

Rowan met him halfway.

Steel collided.

The other two rushed toward me.

I stepped aside just as a blade cut through the air where my neck had been.

I grabbed the attacker's wrist and twisted.

He hissed.

For one terrifying second, I saw the future again.

Not mine.

Mira's.

Her body.

The eastern bridge.

The silver bowl.

The same black symbol.

Then I understood.

They weren't here for me.

They were here because I had come here.

And the person they had originally intended to kill was still somewhere nearby.

“Mira!”

I turned toward the forest.

A scream echoed through the trees.

My blood froze.

“No…”

I ran.

Branches tore at my dress as I pushed deeper into the forest.

Behind me, Rowan shouted my name.

But I didn't stop.

Because I remembered this scream.

Seven years ago, I had heard it in a dream.

I had ignored it.

This time, I wouldn't.

I reached a clearing.

Mira was there.

A masked man held a knife against her throat.

Her eyes met mine.

“Seraphine…”

The man smiled beneath his mask.

“You came exactly as we expected.”

My stomach dropped.

“You used her to lure me here.”

“No.”

He pressed the blade closer to Mira's skin.

“We used you to find her.”

I stared at him.

“What do you want?”

The man tilted his head.

“You.”

“Then let her go.”

He laughed.

“You still don't understand.”

He removed his mask.

I stopped breathing.

I knew that face.

I had seen him seven years ago.

Standing beside Damon.

Standing inside the room where I died.

And he was supposed to be dead.

His smile widened.

“The first life was only the beginning, Seraphine.”

Then he whispered the words that made my entire body go cold.

“Damon isn't the only one who remembers you.”