Rae van Daleon – The Roots of the Storm

by Lea von Löwenstein

Chapter 61: A Birthday in Blood

The dawn broke with an unnatural stillness, the forest holding its breath as if aware of the horrors it concealed. Rae sat near the dying embers of their camp fire, her eleventh birthday weighing heavily in her thoughts. She’d never imagined celebrating it like this—surrounded by death and shadows.

“Rae?” Celestine’s voice cut through her reverie. “You should see this.”

The Discovery

The morning light cast long shadows across the bodies of their prisoners, still bound where they’d left them. But something was different. Celestine stood over the leader’s corpse, her face pale in the early light.

“There’s… something carved into the skin,” she said, her voice steady despite the horror.

Rae moved closer, Marcus and Tyren following behind. The dead leader’s tunic had been torn open, revealing crude letters carved into the flesh of their chest. The wounds were precise, methodical—the work of someone who had taken their time.

The message read:

“In the name of the Prescriptor!

The swift one dies first – her speed means nothing in the dark.

Watch her fall, Little Light, for every shield you raise will crack.

Your birthday gift is knowing you couldn’t save them.”

Rae’s blood ran cold. The threat against Celestine was clear, but the deeper message struck at her core. Someone was targeting her friends to get to her.

Immediate Action

“Tyren,” Rae said, her voice tight with controlled fear, “send an emergency signal. Now.”

Tyren didn’t hesitate, his fingers flying over his cogitator’s interface. “Broadcasting on all emergency frequencies. But…” he paused, frowning. “There’s interference. Something’s trying to block us.”

Marcus stepped closer to Celestine, his hammer ready. “We’re not staying here. We need to move.”

“No,” Rae said firmly, surprising herself with the authority in her voice. “We stay together. Defensive positions. Soren, take high ground. Marcus, Celestine, opposite sides. Tyren, keep trying to get through.”

A Birthday Promise

As they moved into position, Celestine caught Rae’s arm. “Hey,” she said softly, “some birthday, huh?”

Rae managed a grim smile. “Not exactly what I planned.”

“We’ll make it up to you,” Celestine promised, then hesitated. “And Rae? They’re trying to get to you through us. Don’t let them.”

“I won’t,” Rae said, her grip tightening on her blade. “Whatever this Prescriptor is, whatever they want, they won’t touch any of you.”

The Wait

The morning crawled by with agonizing slowness. Every rustle of leaves, every snap of a twig made them tense. Tyren worked frantically at his cogitator, fighting through the interference.

“Got something!” he finally called out. “Weak signal, but it’s going through.”

Rae moved to his side as he transmitted their situation. The response was immediate: “Hold position. Extraction incoming. Inquisitor Kael en route.”

A Shadow Moves

As they waited, Soren spotted movement in the trees. “Contact!” he called out, his crossbow tracking something in the shadows.

The team tightened their formation, backs to each other. Rae felt the weight of leadership pressing down on her, made heavier by the threat against her friends.

“Whatever happens,” she said, her voice carrying to all of them, “we stay together. No one dies today.”

“For Talia,” Soren whispered.

“For Talia,” they echoed.

The sound of approaching engines cut through the tension. Help was coming. But as Rae looked at her friends—at Celestine’s determined face, at Marcus’s protective stance, at Tyren’s focused concentration, at Soren’s vigilant watch—she knew this was just the beginning.

Someone wanted to hurt her by targeting those she cared about. On her birthday, they’d given her not just a threat, but a promise of pain to come.

But they’d forgotten something crucial: Rae and her team had faced darkness before. They’d lost Talia, faced chaos, and emerged stronger. This Prescriptor, whoever they were, would learn that threatening Rae’s friends was their first and last mistake.

As the transport descended through the canopy, Rae made her own birthday promise: she would protect them all, whatever the cost.

The war for the Scola had just become personal.