Hello everyone! Today I bring you a little bit of the latest story I'm working on! Or, you know, one of them. 

Anyway, here's a part of the first chapter of Antemortem! If you're interested in the rest, you can check it out over on Tapas, where it'll be updated at least twice a week until October 24th. You can find the link to my Tapas profile on my Wattpad profile!

Chapter 1

Cassian felt his life bleed out as he stared at the glowing eyes of the skull held above him. A skeletal grin gleamed beneath the glow of the magic that filled the room, while a scream tore through Cassian.

He felt his heart racing in his chest, a wild rhythm that echoed in his ears while his vision darkened along the edges. Before the darkness overtook him, a familiar face—once dear to him—watched with a sort of glee that pierced Cassian's heart. His life bled out and Cassian found that it didn't matter anymore.

Ethelred, he thought, the name a last passing thought filled with grief and a bitter sense of betrayal.

Everything fell away, like death embracing him with arms cloaked in ebony. Cassian willingly let himself be drawn in. It didn't last.

He opened his eyes—dark as the night around him—to the familiar sight of his own room with its simple furnishings and carefully crafted talismans. A sliver of light filtering through a gap in the curtains made this obvious to Cassian as he laid in bed, still trying to pull his mind away from the dream that had haunted him for years, pulling from memories he wished could be wiped away. Still sleep addled, he almost didn't register the dull thud that sounded from somewhere in his home. Somewhere in his empty home.

At once, Cassian was alert, the remnants of sleep falling away as he sat up slowly. He slipped out of the bed silently, listening for any other sounds. Bare feet moved across the room, the cold wood of the floor an unnoticed discomfort as Cassian paused with his hand on the doorknob, the light of the moon setting his bone-white hair aglow. There was a distant rustling, like cloth shifting amidst the silence of Cassian's home. A creaking followed—steps that shouldn't be there.

With a spell on his lips, Cassian opened the door.

Before he could speak a single word, there was a flash of silver. Instinct alone drove Cassian to duck in time. The blade cut through the air and was embedded into the wood of the wall where his head had been just seconds ago. Cassian felt his heart racing like it hadn't done in a long time. He turned back to his attacker—too slow.

A gloved hand reached out and gripped the knife, pulling it out with ease before slashing at Cassian. He stumbled back on clumsy legs disused to such frantic movements. His mouth opened, words bubbling beneath the surface. Magic gathered at his fingertips.

His attacker's leg shot out, catching him in the abdomen. Cassian felt his breath leave him, a pained sound slipping past his lips. He was thrown back, landing with a clatter on the floor, a chair toppling as he fell against it. The pain slowed him enough that, by the time he looked up, his attacker was turning and making for the exit. Heavy, booted steps thundered against the wooden floors before being silenced by the soft grass outside.

Cassian might not have followed after, if not for the glimpse of ivory he caught. His eyes widened as he watched the sickly white item being tucked away beneath a dark cloak. Like a shadow, the thief slipped out the door and into the night.

Shooting up to his feet, Cassian rushed after.