Fantasy Romance
Knight Makayla stared at the strange man.
She could sense the darkness within him, but he was more than a revenant or draugr. Much more.
And she had been in the eastern provinces too long to turn down the aid of someone as skilled as him.
Someone who had already saved her life.
Someone who sought redemption.
“I am Knight Makayla, and I accept your pledge.”
Her holy magic filled the clearing.
The darkness in him writhed even as it drank in the essence of death around him.
She was so bright. All the way through to her core.
Almost too bright.
He dropped to one knee in front of her, his head bowed low enough that his forehead touched his knee as he held out his hands, palms up, with his bow across them.
“I am Silvark Corvin, and I pledge myself to you now and forever.”
Makayla watched the archer appear from the woods, his face turned from her.
If he wanted her dead, he’d proven he could have killed her several times over.
But he wanted something.
Maybe just a “thank you”.
She sucked in a breath and waited.
He watched her tend to the wounded, a golden healing spell on her lips as she touched a hand to each of their chests.
Too bright.
Too holy.
He had to turn away.
One shot. One kill.
He could give her that.
He took a step towards her. Then another. And another.
Even holy Knights of Valor made mistakes.
Her unit was overwhelmed.
She fought valiantly, but the men around her fell to the onslaught.
As the vampire lord snapped the neck of the man guarding her, his single arrow dipped in holy water pierced the vampire’s heart.
One shot. One kill.
He tracked her, watching her for days.
She destroyed zombies, ghouls, and wendigos.
Necromancers cowered before the light of her holy sword.
The peasants cheered her coming.
Still, he watched. And waited.