Rhys Borderlands Romane & Geschichten

Her wolf whispered again, calm and steady. They will come again. They will come with teeth and fire. Seraphina looked up at Darius. “What is happening at the border right now?” Darius’s jaw tightened. “Rhyden is speaking to their leader. I told him not to engage unless necessary.” Seraphina’s eyes narrowed. “They won’t leave with words.” Darius’s gaze sharpened. “No. They won’t.” The door opened again and Rhyden entered, blood on his blade.

Another voice shouted something I could not make out before cutting off so suddenly it turned my stomach cold. Rhys appeared in the entrance next, blade in hand, shirt half fastened and hair uneven from sleep. “Well,” he said grimly, glancing outside, “this feels unpleasantly familiar.” Even now, he sounded annoyingly calm. “What is it?” I demanded. His eyes narrowed toward the dark beyond the tents. “That,” he said, “is what I’d also like to know.”

But the next second, the ground beneath the Black Wolf Alpha’s feet split apart instantly. The temperature across the entire border dropped sharply. The Black Wolves’ expressions finally changed. Meanwhile, Rhys simply stood there. Then suddenly, someone moved from the back of the Black Wolf group. A cold flash of light shot straight toward Rhys’s back. “Rhys!” My pupils shrank violently. Sharp wolf claws tore hard across Rhys’s arm. Blood instantly dripped down from his fingertips. But Rhys didn’t even turn around. He simply swung one hand backward. The Black Wolf was smashed away on the spot.

After training one afternoon, I wiped the sweat from my forehead and approached Rhys as he poured over a map with Kaden and a few others. “Any news?” I asked, peering over his shoulder. “Some,” Rhys muttered, not looking up from the map. “They’ve moved closer to the northern border. We’re reinforcing that area tonight.” I nodded, but it hurt that he didn't look at me. I wanted him to hold me as carefreely as he did before all this started. Yet, the last thing I needed was for him to become distracted. Reinforcing the border meant we were expecting an attack soon. I knew it was necessary, but it didn’t make the looming threat or his distance any easier to bear.

Caius remained impassive, but a subtle knowing glint appeared in his golden eyes. "Indeed, Alpha," Rhys said, his voice calm, cutting through Kieran’s agitated explanation. "I encountered something at the border. Something that was really interested in influencing Astrid." Kieran turned to Rhys, his face a mask of furious disbelief. "Influencing her? It threw me across the clearing! It used dark magic! What was it? What did you do?" Rhys met Kieran’s fury with unnerving tranquility. "It was a guardian, perhaps. Or a messenger. As for what I did... I engaged it. And convinced it to return to wherever it came from. For now."

I froze with even more dread on seeing who it was. Rhys. I’d heard stories of him. The Rogue Alpha. The one who was rumored to rule the borderlands with his own law. He was drop-dead gorgeous as the tales read, almost as much as he was scary. Looked like he emerged right from the front page of a horror story, and he was the hottest villain in the book. “You’re in my boundary,” He spoke flatly, drawing me out of my thoughts. “Give me one reason not to kill you right now.”

There is no life beyond the Border. And that's where his house is now. Yarsi glanced at Robis, the sorcerer was five steps away from him, Mida and the others were a little further. Robis lowered his sword and pulled his twisted fingers in his direction, as if he wanted to hold him, grab his clothes, not let him go any further. Yarsi smiled into his face and took that last step backwards. He again seemed to have plunged headlong into a bottomless whirlpool, a cold wall of air ran through his body too easily, letting him inside himself and further - beyond the Border. He took a few more steps, moving away, Mida's heart-rending scream pierced his ears.

Someone that too easily crossed borders. She had chosen the Hellwooder and it looked like she was finally happy. She didn’t have doubts. If she would have had doubts, she would have contacted. Would have crossed the border. She was happy. Squirrel was happy. And I was happy for her. Strangely. THE END

“It’s not like that.” “Not like that?” Rhys hissed under his breath, eyes flashing. “Do you have any idea how dangerous this place is? One mistake—” “Rhys.” I stepped closer, lowering my voice. “Please. I’ll explain later. But right now, I need to take the flower.” Rhys blinked. “The—what?” “The flower,” I said quietly. “The one from my mother’s book. She wrote that it only grows near the border.” Rhys blinked. “Your mother wrote about it?”

Vladimir watched as she whirled away and vanished into the sanctuary, Lunareth's forlorn cry echoing down the stone corridor. He stood alone by the fire. Not forgiven. Not whole. But, at last— Needed. The southern border had long been a place of rumor. Great stretches of barren plains gave way to burned-out trees and blackened ground—scars from wars that had been fought under blood moons and betrayal. And now, something worse lurked there. Vladimir followed close upon Rhovan, their horses silent beneath them, hooves numbed by ash and dead grass. The sky above was a sheet of clouds, no birds, no wind—only waiting.