Blood Hounds

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Chapter 18: Hunter and Hunted

Kael's grip tightened on his sword as he faced Garran.

It had been years since he'd last seen the man. Back then, Garran had been just another mercenary—a brother-in-arms.

But now, the look in his eyes was different.

Colder. Hungry.

"You look surprised," Garran said, twirling his blade with ease. "Thought I was dead?"

Kael exhaled sharply. "Would've been easier that way."

Garran chuckled. "No doubt. But you know me—I don't die easy."

Rhia, still holding her dagger, glanced between them. "Kael—who is this?"

Kael didn't answer. He couldn't.

Because the truth was more complicated than he had time for.

Garran wasn't just an old ally. He was a reminder of everything Kael had tried to leave behind.

And now he was here, standing between Kael and freedom, his sword raised in challenge.

"Do yourself a favor," Garran said, stepping forward, "and don't fight this. You know how it ends."

Kael's jaw clenched. "I do."

Then he attacked.

Their blades met in a violent clash, the force of it rattling Kael's bones. Garran was just as fast as he remembered—faster. Each strike was calculated, each movement refined.

Kael barely dodged a swipe aimed at his throat, countering with a sharp twist of his blade. Garran sidestepped, grinning.

"Still quick," he mused. "But you're holding back."

Kael ignored him, pressing forward. He had to end this—fast.

Rhia and Darian were still fighting their own battles. Fenrir was snapping at a Black Hound's arm, tearing into leather and flesh. They were outnumbered, outmatched.

They couldn't afford a drawn-out fight.

But Garran wasn't just here to kill him.

He was toying with him.

"How long are you gonna run, Kael?" Garran taunted, dodging another strike. "You think you can just disappear? Leave it all behind?"

Kael gritted his teeth. "I don't have time for your games."

Garran smirked. "Then I'll make it simple."

He lunged—faster than Kael expected—grabbing him by the collar and slamming him against the cold stone wall.

Pain shot through Kael's back, his breath leaving him in a sharp gasp.

Garran leaned in, his voice low.

"They want you alive, you know. But me? I don't mind breaking a few bones first."

Kael's pulse stopped.

They?

Who was Garran working for?

Then, before Kael could react, a sharp howl split the air—

And everything changed.

The ruins trembled. The symbols along the walls flared, pulsing like a heartbeat.

Garran's smirk faded. "What the hell—"

The shadows around them shifted.

And then, Elias's voice returned.

"They're here."

The temperature plummeted.

Kael felt it before he saw it—the presence.

The same one from the forest. The same one that had whispered his name.

It had found them.

And nothing was stopping it now.