Raven Moon

Chapter 12:

Conners Choice

The chaos in the ceremonial hall was a whirlwind of panicked shouts, crackling magic, and the metallic tang of blood. Conner, amidst the pandemonium, felt a strange sense of clarity. He had severed the chains, ignited the rebellion. Now, he had to escape.

He couldn't stay and fight his family; they were too many, too powerful. His only chance was to disappear, to seek refuge, and to decide what came next.

He slipped through the thrashing bodies, his movements honed by years of training, now used against his own kin. He avoided direct confrontation, focusing on creating openings, disrupting attacks, and making his way towards a less guarded exit – a narrow passage his grandfather had once shown him, a secret route used for emergencies.

As he reached the passage, he glanced back. The fae, its eyes blazing with power, was wreaking havoc, its magic a force of nature unleashed. Conner felt a pang of guilt.

He had freed it, but now he was leaving it to face the Hawthornes alone. He knew it was a selfish choice, but he also knew he couldn't help. He would only be a liability, another target.

He plunged into the darkness of the passage, the rough stone scraping against his skin. The air was damp and cold, the silence a stark contrast to the cacophony behind him. He didn't stop running until he reached the other end – a hidden door concealed behind a tapestry in the library.

He emerged, breathless and disoriented, into the familiar room. Books lined the walls, their leather spines whispering secrets. He had spent countless hours here as a child, lost in stories of heroes and magic. Now, it felt like a lifetime ago.

He needed to think. He needed to decide. His actions had irrevocably changed his life. He could no longer be a Hawthorne, not in the way he had been before. He had betrayed his family, broken their sacred traditions.

They would hunt him, he knew that.

But what now? Where could he go? He thought of Raven. The image of her face, her warm smile, filled his mind. She was the only person he truly trusted, the only one who had ever seen him for who he was, not just a Hawthorne.

He had to see her. He had to tell her everything. But he also knew that going to her would put her in danger. The Hawthornes wouldn't hesitate to use her as leverage.

He paced the library, his mind racing. He needed a plan. He needed to protect Raven, and he needed to figure out how to stop his family, to break the cycle of violence and darkness that had consumed them for generations.

He stopped by the window, looking out at the valley. The Hawthorne estate still loomed in the distance, a dark silhouette against the moonlit sky. He closed his eyes, remembering the fae's words: "You steal what you cannot create. You are parasites—leeches who mistake theft for strength."

The words echoed in his mind, a condemnation of his family, of himself. He had been complicit in their crimes, a participant in their rituals. He had benefited from their power, their wealth. Now, he had to pay the price.

He opened his eyes, a new resolve hardening his gaze.

He knew what he had to do. He had to break free from the Hawthorne legacy, not just for himself, but for Raven, for the human and fae who had been sacrificed, for all the victims of his family's dark magic.

He would go to Raven, but not directly. He would send her a message, a coded message she would understand. He would tell her where to meet him, a safe place, far from the reach of the Hawthornes.

He would give her a choice. A choice to stand with him, to fight against his family, to embrace a new future. Or a choice to walk away, to protect herself from the storm that was coming.

The choice was hers. And his future, he realized, depended on it.

He would give her the choice because he knew deep down he had already made his. He would leave everything behind for her, for a chance to start over. He just hoped she would choose him.