Excerpt:

The evening was always the most beautiful time in the valley, and after being confined inside two days straight due to her injury, Althea craved some fresh air. Under the cover of nightfall she slipped out and away from the city center deep into the forest she'd lived in as a child. She always felt more at peace within the forest, able to relax without any scrutiny, or fear of becoming outcast.

The whispers of wind rustling the leaves in the trees was a balm to her frustration, and she inhaled deeply of the fresh, dewy air of the evening, savoring the harmony of aromas her sensitive nose detected.

As she wandered, languidly traversing the landscape with no set direction in mind, she came upon a crystal pool tucked in a rocky alcove. A wicked instinct encouraged her to strip and swim in the glassy lake, which appeared so serene and peaceful reflecting a crescent moon from the sky. She knew better than to listen, and instead bent down to cup water in her hands and refresh her face.

The water was comfortably cold, and felt soothing against her skin. She sighed happily as she turned to look around her. At a time like this, surrounded by nature and free to indulge in any careless fantasy, she felt truly happy.

It went against what she knew she must be, and she had no qualms with that. Control and restraint were the priceless tools that had kept her sane and functional, keeping any demonic urges at bay and preventing her from becoming that which she most hated. Yet, there were times, when she wanted to escape from it all, return to her childhood memories with her mother and father, where everything was simple.

She readjusted her gloves as she forcefully pushed the memories away and continued her trek through the forest. Tifeas had gone to a council meeting and after her latest argument with Drodyn, she doubted he'd come looking for her any time soon, so she figured she had a good couple hours of time to herself before she'd be missed.

She scanned her surroundings for a moment, instincts kicking in as she verified she was alone and there were no threats present. Once she was comfortable, she continued through the trees, winding down a small path and deep into the undergrowth.

At the bottom of a steep hill she reached yet another clearing, the mouth of a small lake that again was exposed to the shining night sky. She walked up to the little brook and began to step over it when suddenly she froze, all hairs on her body standing on end. A faint, electric tingle ran up and down her spine, and her blood warmed. Demon.

Turning back, she ran back on the path she'd taken and wound through the forest in a mile radius of her own path, and found nothing. Yet still, the vague sense was growing, warming as though a demon were beside her this very moment.

Glancing around, all she saw were shadows of the trees trailing deeper into the forest.

Her blades slipped out from their holsters and into her hands in one smooth movement. With another, she'd pulled her hood back over her face and concentrated on staring into the darkness, attempting to draw out her abilities and discover the origin of these strange sensations.

Oddly enough, it seemed to come from everywhere at once, all around her it spread and grew, enveloping her like a storm cloud. She crossed into another clearing, running, and the sensation lightened for a moment, only to redouble as she returned under the tree cover.

The shadows! Something was stalking her within the shadows.

She struggled to find a direction, a source, and pursued it through the forest and across until she reached the edge and wound through the very same cliffs she'd traversed on her most recent sortie. The shadows felt more tangible as she grew closer, and she pursued, her blood rushing and a smile creeping onto her face as a result of the chase.

The thought crossed her mind that this would lead to the discovery of another rogue demon camp, and she briefly thought of returning to notify Drodyn, but the sensation was too powerful, too fleeting and she had to find the source before she lost it completely.

Cliffside gave way to a dry valley, stretching for miles across to the demon border, and her suspicions were confirmed as the trail led her straight across and into a crisscrossed tower of boulders that had tumbled from the jagged Ron'Erathon cliff face.

Her pace slowed, and her heart sped up as the feeling flared up. She could sense an incredibly powerful force, just beyond the rocks several paces in, smelled horseflesh and leather, metal and flint.

The power grew, intensified until it was almost suffocating. She paused to consider, but decided to rely on her sense of stealth to at least discover this great enemy, whether or not she confronted him tonight.

Althea navigated carefully through the rocks, following the trail of shadows that led like a thread back to a darkened cave at the foot of the cliff face. A horse was lazily pacing to and fro before it, tied down to a boulder and looking decidedly bored.

She knew, as she gazed into the blackness of the cave, that what she sought was concealed there.

Treading silently, she climbed around, avoiding the horse and narrowing onto the cave. Pressing her back flat alongside the entrance, she curved around to peer inside, but could not see sufficiently to make anything out.

She debated stepping inside or withdrawing and waiting from a safe distance to analyze what hid inside, when violently the shadow snapped back from the enormous distance it had travelled, flooding her with a dizzy, violent whiplash. She was thankful of the stone at her back that held her upright, and fought against a wave of nausea that flooded her.

No sooner had she recovered than a monstrous growl sounded from within the cave, and a towering, dark haired, shirtless demon threw himself at her and knocked the breath out of her as he pinned her to the ground. Savage red eyes threatened to devour her soul as cold steel dug into her neck, eyes from her nightmares, full of promises of a painful end.

And Althea knew, in that moment, she was facing death.