Starlit Bargains (Tales from Thornhaven Book One): An MM Romance by Ken Sanchez

Author:Ken Sanchez [Sanchez, Ken]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2025-03-28T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 8

Guardian's Chains

Kai's arms ached from supporting Eliar's weight as they stumbled through the darkening forest. The fallen guardian was still trembling, each step an obvious struggle, his breathing shallow and uneven. Occasionally, Kai felt a ripple of power pulse through Eliar's body—aftershocks from the massive surge of energy he'd unleashed against the shadow creatures.

“Just a little further,” Kai encouraged, though he had no idea if that was true. They'd been moving away from the temple ruins for nearly twenty minutes, following Eliar's mumbled directions deeper into the ancient forest.

“Wait,” Eliar gasped suddenly, his body tensing.

Kai stopped, scanning their surroundings. The forest had grown unnaturally quiet—no bird calls, no rustling of small animals in the underbrush. Just silence, heavy and watchful.

“Briar?” Kai called softly.

The sprite zipped back from her scouting position ahead, her tiny face drawn with worry. “Movement behind us,” she reported. “And to the sides. Not like animals. More like...”

“Shadows,” Eliar finished, his voice barely audible. “They're regrouping.”

A chill ran down Kai's spine. He'd hoped that Eliar's display of power would have dispersed the creatures completely, or at least bought them more time. “How far to your safe place?”

“Too far,” Eliar admitted, sagging further against Kai's support. “In this condition... I won't make it.”

Kai swore under his breath, mind racing. They couldn't outrun the shadows, not with Eliar barely able to walk. Fighting them in the open forest seemed equally suicidal. They needed shelter, defensible ground, something...

His gaze caught on a tumble of ancient stones half-hidden by vegetation about fifty yards to their right. “What's that?”

Eliar followed his gaze. “Old ruins. Part of the same complex as the temple, but older. Forgotten.”

“Is it safe?”

A shadow of a smile crossed Eliar's face. “Safer than standing in the open waiting for the Void Feeders to find us.”

Decision made, Kai adjusted his grip on Eliar and changed direction, heading for the ruins. As they drew closer, he could see that what had appeared to be a random pile of stones was actually the remains of a small structure—perhaps a shrine or outbuilding that had once been part of the larger temple complex. Most of the roof had collapsed, but some walls still stood, creating a partial enclosure. More importantly, the entrance was narrow—defensible, if it came to that.

They had just reached the crumbling doorway when Briar hissed a warning from above. “They're coming! From the east!”

Kai looked back and saw them—not individual shadow creatures this time, but a rippling wave of darkness flowing between the trees like liquid night. It moved with purpose, accelerating as it sensed their presence.

“Inside, now!” Kai urged, half-dragging, half-carrying Eliar through the narrow entrance. The interior of the ruins was surprisingly intact—a single room about fifteen feet square, with stone walls rising to what had once been a domed ceiling. Only part of the roof remained, allowing dappled evening light to filter down into the space.

Like the temple, the floor here was inlaid with a mosaic of celestial patterns, though centuries of neglect had obscured much of the design beneath dirt and fallen debris.

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