Sparks in the dark

CHAPTER 4 – SPARKS IN THE DARK

Kael pushed gently aside a curtain of vines, revealing a snug little den nestled into the side of the cliff. It wasn’t what I expected. The stone walls gleamed faint from embers in the hearth. A shelf carved right into the rock held jars and bundles of herbs, neatly tied. Furs and old blankets were layered in one corner, not thrown but stacked in surprising care.

I could not stop staring. “This is yours?”

Kael took a quick look over his shoulder, the faintiest smile pulling at his mouth. “What, expecting a hole in the ground?”

“Well…” I laughed softly. “Something like that. This is… it’s nice. Cozy.”

“Cozy,” he repeated, shaking his head. “That’s a new one. You coming in or not?”

I stepped inside. The warmth hit me first, then the strange comfort of it. This place didn’t look like a rogue's. It looked like someone who wanted to live, not just only survival.

Kael grabbed a folded sheet from a pile and tossed it toward me. “For you.”

I caught it, a little surprised. “You don’t seem like the sheet-giving type.”

“Don’t get used to it.” He set a tin cup over the fire. A faint, earthy smell rose as steam curled up.

I took a sip when he handed it over. “This is… actually good.”

“You sound shocked.”

“I didn’t think rogues drank tea.”

His silver eyes flicked to me. “It means you don’t know much about rogues.”

I held the cup close, warmth seeping through my fingers. “So, tell me. How did you even end up here? You don’t just wake up and decide to live in a cave with tea leaves.”

For a moment, he didn’t answer. The fire crackled, filling the silence. Then he leaned back on his hands, gaze slipping toward the ceiling. “That’s the question I ask myself every day. How did I get here?”

I frowned. “You don’t remember?”

His jaw worked. “Pieces. Flashes. Enough to know I shouldn’t still be alive. There was a ritual… I barely walked out of it breathing. Left me with this.”

He tugged his shirt collar down, revealing scars slashed across his chest. Deep, jagged, like fire had kissed and refused to let go. My hand moved before I thought, fingertips grazing one mark. His body went rigid under my touch, breath catching, but he didn’t pull away.

“How did you survive?” I whispered.

“Instinct. Anger. Maybe luck.” His voice was low. “I don’t know. All I know is… ever since then, I’ve been searching. For someone who could give me back what I lost.”

“Your memory?”

His eyes shifted to mine, silver burning in the firelight. “More than that. The truth. And she’s not far from here. That’s why I stay.”

I swallowed hard. His words felt too close to me. “And until then?”

“Until then, I fight.”

I wanted to ask more, but his gaze sharpened suddenly. “Now tell me. What were you doing alone in that forest?”

My grip tightened on the cup. “I just needed… to clear my head. Then the rogues showed up.”

“That’s it?”

“Yes.”

His silence pressed heavy, like he was listening for the lie between my words. “Not enough reason. Rogues don’t waste their time chasing girls with broken hearts. Something else is pulling them.”

His eyes flicked to my necklace.

I clutched it instinctively. “I told you—it was from my father. What else do you want from me?”

Kael finally leaned back, arms crossed. “Believe whatever you need to. But pendants like that don’t fall into the hands of ‘pathetic’ girls.”

The silence stretched until my bones ached with it.

That night, when sleep finally came, it wasn’t gentle.

The Moon Goddess stood before me, fur silver as flame, eyes like endless sky. Her voice wasn’t soft. It was a command.

You are Moonfire. Fated to rule or to burn. Your fire can bind. Your fire can break. Choose.

I stumbled back. “I don’t want this!”

But the dream shifted. My belly was round, a child beneath my heart. A man’s hand held mine, firm, warm, a crown glinting on his head. His smile was for me, and I loved him so fiercely my heart ached.

Then Selene’s face cut through. Her hands shoved him away, her eyes burning cruel. “Sister,” she hissed, and her blade plunged into me.

Blood, fire, screams—

I woke screaming, “No!”

Kael was already there, kneeling beside me. His hand closed around mine, his other brushing my hair back. “I’m here. Nothing’s going to touch you.”

“She killed me,” I gasped, trembling. “She killed my baby—”

Kael turned my face gently toward him. “What did you see?”

“A dream,” I choked.

His gaze flickered, something sharp crossing his face.

“What is it?” I demanded.

“Nothing.” He forced the word, but his eyes gave him away.

“What?”

He swallowed. “Your eyes. They were… burning. Like fire.”

I jerked away from his touch, panic raking up my throat. “No. No, that’s not possible.”

I stumbled outside, desperate for air, the night hitting me cold and raw. “Show yourself!” I shouted to the moon. “If this is your game, come face me!”

The rogues heard. Growls slid through the trees, closer, circling.

My pulse spiked. I turned to run, but claws scraped stone. One lunged— I rammed my knee up hard, a strangled yelp breaking from its throat. Another leapt; I kicked wild, enough to knock it back.

“Kael!” I screamed, bolting toward the den.

He was already there, blade flashing. We ducked through a narrow crack in the rock, rogues howling behind us. Smoke rose as fire swallowed his home.

I started to shout, but Kael clamped a hand over my mouth, breath hot against my ear. “Do you want us dead? Then be quiet.”

Tears burned as the firelight lit the ruins behind us. My voice cracked against his palm.

He lowered his hand. I whispered, “I’m sorry. Your home—”

“It’s just stone,” he said with a shrug, surprising me with a crooked smile. “Besides, your moves were impressive. For a scaredy.”

I let out a breathless laugh. “His balls, though? Really?”

Kael’s chuckle rumbled low. “Effective.”

We stumbled deeper into the dark, his hand steady at my back.

When the forest finally hushed again, I grabbed his arm. “Wait.”

He turned, brow lifted.

“I’m ready,” I whispered. “To tell you eve

rything.”

His eyes searched mine, unreadable. Then he nodded once. “About time.”

The night closed around us, and we kept walking.