#15 Breakdown

Rowyn POV

Thistle zipped frantic little circles above my head, her wings buzzing with anxiety. She’d been quiet since I got back, but now she wrung her tiny hands like a nervous hummingbird.

“I’m gonna go to the Nymph Court,” she said suddenly, her voice hushed. “See if Mama knows anything about the Obsidian Accord.”

I wiped my nose on my sleeve and gave a weak nod. “Okay. Be careful, Thistle.”

She hovered a second longer like she didn’t want to leave me, then gave a tiny bow. “Back soon, heir.” And with a soft pop, she vanished in a shimmer of golden dust.

I collapsed backward on my bed, tears leaking into my pillow, the silence around me loud as hell. I didn’t know how much time passed, minutes? hours?, but I was still a wreck when the knock came.

I sat up, my eyes puffy and heart racing. “I told you to mind your fucking business, Zephyr!” I yelled as I stormed to the door and yanked it open, fire in my veins....

Only to freeze.

Aster and Kyren stood there, wide-eyed. Each of them flanked by their new nymphs, who were blinking up at me like sparkly little judgmental fairies.

Shit.

“I...I thought,” I stammered, and then it hit me again. Everything. All of it. My legs gave out and I sank back onto the bed with a fresh wave of ugly, choking sobs.

Aster was on me in an instant, her arms wrapping around me from behind, grounding me, rubbing soft circles into my back. “Shhh, babe. Let it out. We’re here.”

Kyren stepped in more hesitantly, taking in my room with wide eyes like he’d stepped into a palace. “This is... godsdamned amazing,” he murmured, trying not to stare but totally failing.

But when he saw the tears dripping down my face again, he sobered. “Rowyn, what happened?”

So I told them. All of it.

How my mom tried to sell me like I was a fucking antique, offering my virginity to some high fae freak for a few thousand credits. How I ran. How I was caught. How I didn’t even know I had powers until they exploded out of me in the middle of a beating. How I was arrested, sentenced to die, and then whisked away by Zephyr and two mystery dudes like a last second divine glitch.

And then today. The Obsidian Accord. Standing there in Nocturne’s office like they owned me. Like I was a broken toy they were entitled to destroy.

“I don’t even know what I am,” I whispered. “I don’t know why they want me dead. I’m just... I’m so scared.”

The room was quiet, the kind of quiet that doesn’t feel empty, but full.

Then Kyren sat down beside me, voice steady and strong. “You have us. Always.”

His nymph fluttered beside him and chimed in, “Us too!”

Aster nodded. “Hell yeah, babe. We ride at dawn.”

That pulled a watery laugh out of me. Goddess, I needed that. I looked at them both, my friends, my people, and something in me settled. Just a little. Just enough.

“Thank you,” I said, my voice raw.

And I pulled them both into the tightest, most desperate hug I’d ever given anyone in my damn life.

Maybe, just maybe, I wasn’t as alone as I thought.

Zephyr POV

I leaned further into the shadowed alcove, silencing my breath as Rowyn’s voice drifted out from her cracked open dorm room.

“She didn’t even flinch when she opened the damn door,” I whispered to Kalyx, who stood beside me chewing on a toothpick like this was some casual little show and not borderline espionage.

“She thought it was you,” he whispered back, smirking. “And you definitely deserved that scream, dickhead.”

I flicked him off without looking. My attention was locked on Rowyn’s voice. And the way it cracked.

“I didn’t even know I was fucking magical,” she was saying. “This is bullshit. My mom tried to sell me. For my virginity.”

Kalyx and I both froze. What. The. Fuck.

I turned my head slowly, my eyes wide. “Did I hear that right?”

“Yeah,” Kalyx muttered, shaking his head like he could knock the disgust out of his skull. “You fucking did.”

We stayed there, crouched and listening like nosy bastards, as Rowyn poured her soul out to her new friends. Her voice broke. She cried. And every time she did, I felt something sharp twist in my chest like a blade being dragged across something important.

Her mom tried to sell her. She was sentenced to die. She had no clue she was magical. And the fucking Accord was after her? How was she even still standing?

The more she talked, the harder it was to breathe. She should be broken. She should be angry and bitter and fucked up beyond repair.

But instead, she was here, raw and real and still managing to protect her friends like they were made of glass.

“Fuck,” I breathed as we backed away and headed for our suite. “I wanted to hate her.”

“Same,” Kalyx said, his voice quiet as he pushed the door open and tossed his jacket over the back of the couch. “I did hate her. For like, twenty minutes.”

We sat in silence for a beat.

“She’s been through more shit than most warriors,” I muttered. “And she’s still fighting.”

Kalyx nodded, pulling the toothpick out of his mouth. “She’s strong as fuck, man. Like, scary strong. Emotionally. And magically.”

I threw myself onto the couch and stared at the ceiling. “The Accord wants her under control. Or dead.”

“Well, fuck the Accord,” Kalyx said with a shrug. “They’ve always been shady power hungry assholes. I just didn’t realize they were going after kids now.”

“She’s not a kid,” I said before I could stop myself.

He raised an eyebrow. “Oh? What is she then?”

I ignored him. We sat in silence again, but it was heavier now. Thicker.

“She’s not safe,” I finally said. “Not with those fuckers on campus.”

Kalyx leaned forward, elbows on his knees. “So what do we do?”

I met his eyes. “We protect her,” I said.

“Even if she tells us to fuck off?”

I cracked a smile. “Especially if she tells us to fuck off.”

Kalyx smirked. “You're catching feelings, bro.”

“Shut up.”

He just laughed and leaned back. “Whatever you say, white knight.”

But even as I rolled my eyes, I knew he wasn’t wrong.

And maybe I didn’t care. Because Rowyn Vale? She wasn’t just strong. She was fire forged.

And if the Accord came for her again, they’d have to go through us first.