Rise Of The Crimson Lord

The Knock In The Dark

Chapter 2 

 The Knock in the Dark

Seraphine stood beside me, her fingers gripping my sleeve tightly. I could feel her hand shaking, even though she tried to hold herself steady.

“We shouldn’t be here,” she whispered.

“I know,” I answered quietly.

The deep voice came again, muffled by the door but still sharp enough to slice through the silence.

“Crimson General. Open the door. We only want to talk.”

Talk.

That word meant nothing good in Ravenport.

I stepped forward slowly and pressed a finger to my lips, telling Seraphine not to speak. She nodded, though her breathing was uneven.

The man outside waited. Not moving. Not leaving.

His patience worried me more than anger ever could.

Then he knocked again—three times, slower than before.

“Leon Hawke,” the voice said, “we know you’ve returned. The city shifts when you move. So please… open the door.”

The way he said my full name sent a cold wave down my spine.

He wasn’t guessing.

He knew.

Seraphine leaned closer to me and whispered, “They tracked you so fast… I didn’t think they would.”

“Who are they?” I asked softly.

She hesitated. “People who work with my family. Or… people my family owes.”

That didn’t make things any better.

The footsteps outside shifted slightly, like the man leaned his weight to the other leg.

Still calm. Still waiting.

I whispered, “Stay behind me.”

Seraphine moved a little back, but not far. She stayed close enough to reach me.

My hand lowered to the metal rod leaning against the wall near the kitchen. It wasn’t much, but I had used worse weapons in worse places.

Then I spoke, loud enough for the man at the door.

“What do you want?”

A short silence.

“To give you a warning,” the voice replied.

“A warning?” I asked. “Who sent you?”

“The ones who remember what happened to the Hawke family.”

My grip tightened around the metal rod.

I was seconds away from opening the door and pulling him inside, but Seraphine grabbed the hem of my shirt.

“Don’t,” she whispered. “Please. Don’t fight here.”

“Then what do you suggest?” I whispered back.

She swallowed hard. “Let him speak. Better to know what they want.”

I took in a slow breath. She was right. Information mattered more than blood right now.

“Speak,” I said through the door. “Give the warning right there.”

A soft chuckle came from the other side.

“Very well.”

I could hear him shift slightly, maybe leaning closer to the door.

“The city’s eyes are open, Crimson General. They know you’re home. And they know you won’t stay quiet.”

He paused.

“So for your own good—and for hers—leave Ravenport tonight.”

His words felt like a blade.

*For hers.*

Seraphine stiffened behind me.

I stepped closer to the door, my voice low. “If you touch her—”

“We already have,” the man interrupted calmly. “Not directly. But the Vale family is in a very delicate situation. If you stay here… she bleeds with you.”

Seraphine gasped softly.

I felt anger rising so fast I had to close my eyes for a moment.

“You think threatening her will make me run?” I asked.

“It isn’t a threat,” the man said. “It’s a fact.”

Another pause.

“You have until sunrise.”

Then the footsteps moved away. Slow. Unhurried. Confident.

He walked down the hall, and the building fell quiet again.

I waited.

Five seconds.

Ten seconds.

Twenty.

Only when the silence felt real did I unlock the door and pull it open fast.

The hallway was empty.

Not a single shadow in sight.

I stepped out and looked both ways. Nothing.

Whoever he was, he was trained. He knew how to disappear fast.

Behind me, Seraphine said, “He shouldn’t have found us so quickly.”

“He didn’t,” I replied. “He followed you.”

She froze. “Me?”

“You said you followed me from the city gate. Someone must have followed you.”

Her face went pale.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I didn’t think anyone would notice.”

I closed the door again and locked it. “It’s not your fault.”

But the truth sat heavy in my chest.

Nothing about tonight was simple. Nothing about Ravenport was accidental.

Seraphine sat on the edge of the small bed, her hands clasped tight together. She looked like she was fighting tears but refusing to let them fall.

“I didn’t want to bring trouble to you,” she said in a low voice.

“You didn’t,” I said. “Trouble was already here.”

She looked up at me with those soft eyes. “Leon… you almost died because of me once. I can’t let that happen again.”

I shook my head. “Seraphine, I chose to live. You only helped me stand again.”

She looked away, lips pressed tight.

I sat at the table and pulled out the chair beside me, gesturing for her to sit. She hesitated, then moved over and sat across from me.

“Tell me,” I said. “Everything. What is happening with the Vale family?”

Seraphine took a slow breath. “My father… he made a deal. A dangerous one.”

“What kind of deal?”

“One that tied our family to people who want power in Ravenport.” Her voice wavered. “And these people… they do not let go.”

“Are they the same group behind my family’s death?” I asked.

She didn’t answer immediately. Instead, she rubbed her fingers together nervously.

“I’m not sure,” she said. “But they know about it. They talk about it when they think I’m not listening.”

A cold feeling spread through my stomach.

She continued, “They told my father I must attend a meeting tomorrow night. They said my presence will ‘seal the bond.’ I don’t know what that means, but I’m scared.”

“Does your father know what they did to my family?”

She nodded slowly. “I think so.”

“And still, he works with them?”

She closed her eyes. “My father is afraid, Leon. Afraid of losing the Vale business. Afraid of losing his position. Afraid of losing everything.”

“What about losing you?” I asked quietly.

Her lips trembled. “I don’t think he thought about that.”

Anger burned in my chest, but I forced myself to stay calm.

“What do they want from you?” I asked.

She looked down. “Marriage.”

My breath froze.

“Marriage? To who?”

She shook her head. “I don’t know his name. They only call him ‘the heir.’ They said he is powerful. Dangerous. Someone the Vales cannot refuse.”

Every muscle in my body tensed.

“They think they can force you,” I said.

“They can,” she whispered. “If I refuse… they said they will destroy our family piece by piece.”

“And they expect me to leave the city,” I added. “So I don’t interfere.”

“Yes,” she said. “They know what you can do, Leon. They know you won’t stay quiet.”

I leaned back slowly, letting her words sink in.

Seraphine Vale.

The girl who saved me.

The girl who gave me back my life.

Forced into a marriage with a dangerous family?

No.

Not while I was still alive.

“You’re not going to that meeting,” I said.

She looked up sharply. “Leon—”

“You’re not,” I repeated. “I won’t let them use you like that.”

Her voice cracked. “If I don’t go, they’ll—”

“I’ll deal with them,” I said.

“Leon, you can’t fight everyone in Ravenport,” she said. “You’re only one man.”

“I’ve fought whole armies,” I said quietly. “I’ve survived worse than this.”

“Yes, but not here,” she said, echoing Jax’s warning. “This is different. These people hide behind money and shadows. They don’t fight fair.”

“I don’t need fair,” I replied.

She reached across the table and grabbed my hand. Her grip was shaky but firm.

“I don’t want you to die,” she whispered.

The room fell quiet.

Her hand felt small against mine. Warm. Familiar. The same way it felt when she held my hand two years ago while I drifted in and out of consciousness.

“I won’t die,” I said gently.

“You might,” she whispered. “And I can’t carry that.”

I looked into her eyes. She wasn’t lying. She was terrified.

But I couldn’t walk away.

Not from her.

Not from the truth.

Not from my family’s ghosts.

“I won’t run,” I finally said. “I came here for answers. And now I have a reason to stay.”

Seraphine lowered her head, her hair falling over her face. “I didn’t want to be your reason.”

“You don’t get to choose that,” I said softly.

She let out a weak, shaky laugh. “Then I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be.”

We sat there for a moment, hands still touching across the table. Her thumb brushed lightly against my skin, a small motion that made my chest tighten.

Then she pulled her hand back.

“Leon,” she said, “if they know you’re here, they won’t wait long. Tonight’s knock was only a warning.”

“I know.”

“They’ll come again. And next time, they won’t be polite.”

“I know,” I repeated.

“So what will you do now?” she asked.

I stood up and walked to the window, looking out into the dark city. Ravenport lights flickered like dying stars. Shadows moved between the alleys.

What would I do?

“Prepare,” I said.

She stood as well, walking closer to me.

“Prepare for what?”

“For sunrise,” I said. “They gave me time. I intend to use every second of it.”

“And after sunrise?” she asked.

I looked over my shoulder, meeting her eyes.

“After sunrise,” I said, “I start hunting.”

Seraphine’s breath caught, her voice soft. “Leon… don’t—”

“I must.”

She stepped closer until she was right beside me. “Then at least let me help you.”

I almost laughed. “Help me? Seraphine, you’re the one they want to use.”

“Yes,” she said, lifting her chin, “which means I know things you don’t. I hear things you never will. They think I’m weak.”

“And you’re not,” I said.

She gave a tiny smile. “Then let me prove it.”

I studied her expression. Determined. Scared. But strong.

Just like the girl who saved me two years ago.

“Fine,” I said softly. “We do this together.”

Relief washed over her face.

But before I could say anything more, footsteps echoed again—coming up the stairs this time.

Fast. Heavy. Not hiding.

Seraphine grabbed my arm. “Leon—”

“I know.”

I moved quickly, grabbing my cloak and pulling it on. The red fabric fell around my shoulders like a warning flame.

The footsteps reached the first landing.

Seraphine looked at me with wide eyes. “They’re early.”

“No,” I said, listening closely. “This one isn’t the same man from before.”

“How do you know?”

“The sound,” I whispered. “This one is lighter. Quicker. Probably two people.”

She gulped. “Leon… who could it be?”

The footsteps reached our floor.

Someone stopped right outside our door.

Another slow knock.

Three times.

But this time, the voice was different.

“Leon,” a familiar voice said, “it’s me. Open up.”

My shoulders relaxed a little.

“Jax,” I murmured.

But even before I reached the door, I noticed something.

Jax’s voice wasn’t steady.

It was tight.

And afraid.

I opened the door.

Jax rushed inside, eyes wide, chest rising and falling fast.

“You need to leave,” he said immediately. “Now.”

“What happened?” I asked.

Jax pointed down the hallway with a trembling finger.

“They found your hideout,” he said. “Not the warning team. The r

eal ones.”

Seraphine stepped closer. “Who?”

Jax swallowed hard.

“The group behind everything,” he whispered. “And Leon… they brought the heir.”

Seraphine covered her mouth with her hand.

Jax’s voice dropped to a shaken breath.

“They’re coming for both of you.”

And before I could answer, the whole building shook with a sudden, violent blast.

The hunt had begun.