CHAPTER 9

Morning crept over the rogue camp with a slow golden hush, casting honeyed light on canvas tents and weapon racks slick with dew. Aria stood barefoot in the training ring, the cool earth grounding her beneath a sky that still wore streaks of pink.

Every muscle in her body ached like old wood, worn and splintered, but she refused to show it.

Selene stood across from her, arms folded, expression unreadable. No blood on her this time. No venom curling her lips. Just a quiet watchfulness.

“You have potential,” Selene said, the words falling between them like stones into still water.

Aria stared at her, still unsure whether to flinch or fight. “Is that supposed to be a compliment?”

Selene smirked faintly. “It’s a warning.”

The bruises from their trial were still fresh. Aria could feel each one pulsing beneath her skin like echoes. She hadn't expected to see Selene again so soon, let alone like this.

Maela had merely shrugged when she arrived at Aria’s tent before dawn and said, “Selene wants to train you. I suggest you don’t say no.”

So here they were.

Alone.

Weapons piled on a nearby crate, the ring empty except for the two of them and a few silent onlookers. Among them stood Kael, his arms crossed, expression carved from stone. He wasn’t close, but Aria felt him like gravity, pulling at the tightness in her chest.

“Try again,” Selene said sharply, snapping her fingers.

Aria gritted her teeth and lunged forward, aiming a punch. Selene dodged easily, her hand flashing out to catch Aria’s wrist, twisting and pulling her off balance. Aria fell hard on her side, the breath knocked from her lungs.

“Again.”

Aria pushed herself up, coughing.

“Do you want to keep surviving on luck?” Selene asked, circling her. “Because luck runs out. Skill doesn’t.”

“Is this the part where you break me?” Aria snapped, wiping dirt from her lip.

Selene paused. “You’re already broken. I’m just showing you how to fight with the pieces.”

There was no malice in her voice. No smugness. Just… truth.

Aria rose again.

Their next clash was quicker, fists meeting, feet sliding through dirt, bodies moving in tight circles. Aria landed one good hit to Selene’s shoulder before being knocked on her back again.

Pain screamed up her spine.

Selene offered her a hand.

Aria stared at it.

“What changed?” she asked, panting. “Why are you helping me now?”

Selene hesitated, just a fraction. Her gaze flicked to Kael, then back. “Maybe I hate the people trying to kill you more than I hate you.”

Aria didn’t take her hand, but she stood.

Training continued for over an hour. Falls, jabs, stumbles. No softness. No rest. And still, Aria felt something shift. Not in her body, but in the air between them. A grudging respect. A shared pain neither was ready to name.

Eventually, Selene grunted and stepped back. “You’ll be bruised everywhere tomorrow.”

Aria exhaled. “What’s new?”

She turned her head and found Kael watching her.

He hadn’t moved. But his expression had changed.

Softer. Or maybe… conflicted.

Their eyes met, held for just a breath too long.

Then he turned away.

Aria’s heart thudded loud in her chest.

Later that afternoon, Aria sat beneath a tree near the eastern fence of camp, sipping water and replaying the morning’s training like a battle hymn in her head. She was sore, exhausted, half-limping, but something inside her burned steadier than before.

“Hi!”

She looked up to find Nessa beaming at her, arms full of sticks and leaves.

Before Aria could speak, Nessa dropped them all and grinned. “Come meet my brother!”

“What?”

“He’s here!” Nessa grabbed her hand and pulled. “He just got back from the northern patrol!”

Aria blinked and allowed herself to be dragged.

They wove through the camp until they reached a group of returning scouts, dust-covered and sunburned. One of them peeled away from the others as Nessa waved both arms dramatically.

“Corin!”

He looked up. And Aria met the eyes of someone carved from patience and fire.

Tall, lean-muscled, with dark brown skin and sharp features softened by a warm smile. His eyes, clear hazel with flecks of green, landed on Aria and stayed.

“This is Aria,” Nessa said proudly. “She’s the one I told you about.”

Corin nodded once, his gaze never wavering. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“I hope that’s not a bad thing,” Aria said cautiously.

“Depends on the day,” Corin said, but there was a teasing note in his voice. “I’m Corin.”

They shook hands. His grip was firm, but not aggressive.

“You fight?” he asked.

Aria shrugged. “Sometimes. Poorly. Depends on who’s watching.”

“I saw you earlier,” he said. “Training with Selene.”

“You saw that?”

Corin gave a small smirk. “Everyone saw that. Half the camp’s been waiting to see if you’d break.”

“And?” Aria asked, raising a brow.

“You didn’t.” He paused, more serious now. “That means something.”

They sat and talked for a while, nothing heavy, just small stories. Nessa chimed in often, interrupting her brother with giggles or rolled eyes.

Aria learned that Corin had raised Nessa after their parents died. That he was one of the youngest patrol leaders. That he liked honey bread and hated getting his armor repaired.

It was easy, talking to him.

Real.

Normal.

For the first time in weeks, Aria felt like a girl, not a prophecy, not a target. Just a girl with sore limbs and an aching heart, listening to someone else speak.

And that meant more than he probably knew.

That evening, the camp gathered around the central fire.

Sparks danced high into the air, flames casting everyone in warm orange light. Someone passed bread. Someone else sang an old rogue song, slightly off-key but with heart. The tension of the past few days seemed to ease, just for a moment.

Aria sat with Nessa, watching the flames flicker.

Selene sat a few feet away, sharpening a dagger.

Kael was nowhere to be seen.

Corin stopped by briefly to give Nessa a wooden fox he'd carved. He handed Aria a second one, smaller, the tail chipped.

“For luck,” he said.

She smiled. “Thank you.”

He lingered for a moment. “You’ve got eyes on you.”

Aria blinked. “What?”

He nodded toward Selene.

“Be careful,” Corin added, quietly. “She doesn’t do anything without a reason.”

Aria’s gaze slid toward Selene.

The other woman met her stare and smiled.

Not mocking. Not cruel.

But definitely… knowing.

Night fell heavier than usual.

The wind picked up.

Aria couldn’t sleep.

She wandered near the edge of camp, where the trees pressed close and the shadows thickened. Voices rose behind her, laughter, soft arguments, the shuffle of boots and weapons.

She needed air. Stillness.

But what she found instead… was movement.

A silhouette, darting through the camp.

Too fast. Too quiet.

Aria narrowed her eyes.

The figure stopped in front of Kael’s tent.

Selene.

She slipped inside like smoke.

Aria’s heart skipped.

She waited…five minutes. Ten.

No sign of either of them.

No movement.

Just silence.

Cold and creeping.

The next morning, Selene was gone.

Vanished.

Her bed untouched.

And Kael… refused to speak of it.