All Chapters of THE BURDEN OF BLOOD: Chapter 11
- Chapter 20
51 chapters
Chapter 11: Jasper’s Gambit
It was the first true grass Crimson Howl had seen in three seasons, and the valley was peaceful and green under a chilly dawn. Just six hours prior, Beau's final patrols were forced to retreat across the river with their tails between their legs after Heath's scouts claimed it.Standing on the eastern hill with Savannah covered in borrowed furs by his side, Heath felt the wind whipping his cloak. The sunrise was reflected like new blood in her ruby eyes. Thirty Crimson wolves labored silently beneath them, erecting rudimentary barriers and setting ironwood pegs.Then there was a horn sound.The Ironwood Pack, consisting of 120 fighters in dark leather with black tree sigil-painted shields, emerged from the northern tree line in perfect formation. Jasper, who was as large as an ox, had a beard braided with bone beads, and had eyes as cold as winter iron, rode at their head.Over the ridge, Scarlett spat. "Bastard wasted no time."Heath had a narrow smile. He detects weakness. Let's sho
Chapter 12: The White Wolf Prophecy
The restored valley was enveloped in darkness. Like vigilant eyes, fires were scattered around the new barricade. The dead had already been thrown to the sky on pyres that still blazed crimson on the ridge, while the wounded slept beneath rudimentary shelters.Mason was slumped over a fire that scarcely warmed the old wolf's bones when Heath discovered him in the partially constructed longhouse. As if the answers were hidden in the embers, Savannah sat close by on a bench, knees pulled to her chest, gazing into the flames. Like frost on steel, her white-gold hair caught the light.When Heath's shadow fell across Mason, he didn't raise his head.With a rasp, the elder said, "Sit, boy." "For this, you'll want to be off your feet."Heath leaned back against a post and lowered himself to the packed-earth floor. Savannah's red eyes darted to him and back again, yet her hand moved across the bench till it touched his shoulder—a tiny touch, a profound meaning.Mason jabbed a burnt stick into
Chapter 13: A Glimmer of Consciousness
Just before morning, the fever broke.It had been three days since Heath had left the tiny healer's chamber. In order to feel Savannah's pulse, he kept one hand on her wrist while he slept erect in the chair. The bond between them pulsed like a second heartbeat, at times frenetic and at other times so weak he thought there might never be another beat.He didn't eat the food that Scarlett provided. He hardly heard the reports that Vance brought. Mason brought herbs that did nothing but burn and stink.The rattling breath in Savannah's chest became more human on the third morning. The corpse-gray pallor faded from her skin. Like tidewater, the black veins that had crawled up her throat disappeared.Her fingers trembled beneath Heath's, who was sleeping with his forehead against the cot's edge.He snapped out of it.Savannah's crimson, blazing, and concentrated eyes were open. Slowly, they walked around, admiring the low ceiling, the herb bundles dangling from the rafters, and the table'
Chapter 14: The Sabotaged Hunt
At first light, the hunting party, twelve lean but eager wolves under the leadership of Roan, Scarlett and Garrick's youngest son, left. Elk had been lured down from the high ridges by the new grass in the valley (fat, slow, perfect). Crimson Howl dared to hope for full bellies for the first time in years. With Savannah by his side, Heath watched them disappear into the tree line. She had not slept again, and the tether between them hummed with restless energy. "They'll be alright," he assured her. She didn't respond. Her red eyes continued to stare at the woods. The yelling began three hours later. First to emerge from the trees was Roan, who was half-shifted, his face torn, and his throat dripping with blood. The others (eleven, seven, and four) followed him, running as if the moon were chasing them. With her left arm hanging uselessly and her bone visible through torn muscle, Scarlett hobbled to the back. Her short, gore-stained sword was all that was left of her bow. Before
Chapter 15: The Decision
Smoke, perspiration, and despair filled the longhouse. Every warrior who survived was surrounded by forty-three wolves on the benches. Puppies were tightly gripped by their mothers as they stood in the rear. Pallets of injured people were arranged along the walls. When Heath walked in, nobody said anything. All they could do was watch, staring with hollow eyes, for the words that would determine whether they survived or perished. Heath moved to the elevated hearth so that everyone could see him. Savannah trailed after, with shadows twisting like restless dogs around her feet. With her arm in a sling, Scarlett leaned against the doorframe. Grim-faced, Vance stood next to the map table. Hope did not waste Heath's breath. His voice was flat as he stated, "We have four days of grain left." "Three if we reduce the pups' food once more." We then begin burying children. The chamber echoed with a low growl, but nobody resisted. "The valley is now ringing with Beau's corrupted wolves. Ye
Chapter 16: The War Council
Cold starlight enveloped the valley. All of the palisade's lamps had been extinguished, leaving just the dim red light from the partially destroyed longhouse to flow over the crowded ground.Fifty wolves crammed shoulder to shoulder within. They gathered in a rough circle around the center fire pit tonight; there were no benches. The chart of the river, the crypt entrance, the great hall, and the escape routes that Heath had burned days before now resurfaced on the dirt floor, etched with a charred stick. With his coat off and his shirt sleeves pushed up, Heath stood at the head, his scars gleaming like war paint in the firelight. To his right, Savannah was standing with her eyes shining soft crimson and covered in black wolf pelt. With her blade already slung across her back and her arm still rigid, Scarlett leaned on his left. Behind them, Vance paced restlessly like a hurricane in a prison. Heath didn't speak louder. He didn't have to. "Two nights," he started. "New moon. No mer
Chapter 17: Into the Woods
Fifty shadows crept out of the valley as dusk spread across the sky. Not a torch. There are no voices. Just the whisper of silver blades sliding home and the gentle groan of leather. Heath was at the point, Savannah was a step behind, and Scarlett and Vance were in single line, flanking each other like twin wolves protecting a storm.At the shallows, where the water ran black in the waning light, they crossed the river. No one paused, even if the cold bit deep and seeped through boots. They disappeared into the pines that used to be Shadowed Pine on the distant bank. They were not welcomed by the forest. Trees grew too near, trunks pallid and smooth as bone. Moss draped in damp sheets that dripped something thicker than water. The air tasted of old blood and rot. The wind itself sounded ill, groaning through branches like a dying creature. Heath's fist went up. The column ceased. Savannah moved to stand next to him, her eyes softly ruby in the shadows. She took a single breath an
Chapter 18: The Syphon Stone
They emerged from the tunnel into a cavern that shouldn't be under a river. Water trickled from a black ceiling. Everything was bathed in a corpse-green glow from bioluminescent moss. Iron and ancient dead tasted in the air. The altar stood in the middle, on an elevated dais of black basalt.And the Syphon Stone at its core. Obsidian etched into twisted veins that glowed with sickly green light, it was taller than a man. As if the stone had a heartbeat, every pulse rippled across the underground walls. Like roots, thin strands of shadow, not shadow, but living power, spread out from the crystal, sunk into the stone floor, and disappeared into the night. When Savannah noticed it, she came to a complete halt. Heath could feel the tether screaming between them. Her knees gave way. Before she could touch the ground, he grabbed her. Her voice was rough as she whimpered, "It's... drinking me." "Even right now. It's pulling on me. As though savoring her closeness, the crystal surged b
Chapter 19: Beau’s Wrath
The tunnel mouth was never reached by them. Beau waited in the main chamber of the river crypt, which squinted into a stone neck.Not dead. Not even weaker. Taller than recollection, he stood on top of the shattered altar dais, his skin glimmering with the same green fire that had previously inhabited the Syphon Stone. Beneath his body, black veins writhed like living chains. In complete stillness, thirty elite guards, once the best of Shadowed Pine, now half-corrupted, spread out behind him, their eyes blazing with the same sickening light. Savannah was still nestled against Heath's chest when he skidded to a stop. Behind him thirty-three Crimson wolves, their weapons ready, smashed to a stop. Beau gave a slow, awful smile. "You broke my toy," he muttered in a voice that was a combination of his own and an older one. "So I retracted it." Savannah's breathing became labored. The bond between them flared with sheer horror, and Heath felt it. The Syphon Stone has been broken and
Chapter 20: The Cost
Like shattered teeth, they were sent out into the darkness by the river crypt. Ninety-nine wolves, half-drowned, wet, and bleeding, stumbled onto the northern side. The entrance fell away behind them in a thunderclap of black water and stone. As if Beau's passing had snapped some unseen tether, the woodland that had pursued them on the way in was now hushed.Heath came last. Savannah's white-gold hair was covered in river muck and blood, and her head was limp against his shoulder as he held her in his arms. His own legs only moved on instinct. It was like pulling air through shattered glass with each breath. Black veins were already creeping forth over Beau's skin, and the cursed blade he had buried in his side, just below the ribs, burned colder than ice. Grim-faced, Scarlett and Vance stood on either side of him. "Don't stop," Heath snarled. "Don't stop until you reach the valley." They shifted. Miles and lives were lost on the return trip, which was a horror. The corruption