Chapter 17: The Circle Above

The air grew colder as we climbed. The tunnel curved up and up until the glow of the underground river disappeared behind us. The sound of our footsteps echoed like whispers through stone.

Revan kept hold of my hand as we moved, steadying me when the ground shook beneath us. Jordan walked ahead, blade drawn, every muscle tight. No one spoke for a long time. The silence between us was louder than any words.

When we finally saw light again, it didn’t feel real. It shimmered faintly through cracks in the stone ahead, thin and gray.

Revan touched my arm. “Stay close.”

The tunnel opened into the side of a cliff. Morning light spilled in. For a second I couldn’t see — everything was too bright. Then it came into focus.

The valley stretched below us. The ruins we had entered the night before were gone, swallowed by smoke. The air shimmered with dust and ash.

And lining the ridge across from us were soldiers.

Dozens of them. Maybe more.

Their armor glinted in the sunlight. Their banners — black and silver — carried the mark of the Council.

Jordan’s voice was tight. “They beat us here.”

Revan’s jaw flexed. “They were tracking the power.”

I stared at the sea of soldiers. “They’re not going to let us leave, are they?”

Jordan sheathed his blade slowly. “They don’t need to. They’ll wait until we come down, then close the trap.”

Revan was already scanning the cliffs. “We find another way.”

“There isn’t one,” Jordan said. “The only exit is through that valley.”

Revan didn’t answer. He turned to me. “Can you still feel the child?”

I nodded. “Yes.”

“Is it calm?”

I shook my head. “It’s awake.”

The heartbeat inside me was steady now, strong but quiet. It didn’t hurt like before, but it felt… aware.

Revan’s hand brushed mine. “Whatever happens, you listen to me. You don’t use it again unless you have to.”

“I can’t promise that,” I said.

His eyes met mine. “Promise it anyway.”

Before I could answer, Jordan stepped between us. “They’re moving.”

He was right. The soldiers below had started forming ranks, their formation spreading through the valley floor.

A horn sounded — low and deep.

Revan’s expression hardened. “They mean to flush us out.”

Jordan exhaled. “Then we run.”

“No,” Revan said. “We fight.”

I grabbed his arm. “You can’t fight all of them.”

He looked at me, his voice calm. “I’ve fought worse.”

Jordan gave a rough laugh. “You haven’t fought the Council.”

Revan didn’t even blink. “Then they’ll learn.”

The horn sounded again, louder this time. The soldiers began to climb the slopes.

Jordan pulled me behind a cluster of rocks. “We’ll never make it across open ground.”

Revan crouched beside us, eyes tracking the nearest line of soldiers. “They’re spreading thin. If we move fast, we can break through before they close ranks.”

Jordan looked at him like he’d lost his mind. “With what? Luck?”

“With her,” Revan said, glancing at me.

I shook my head. “No. You said not to.”

“You can control it now,” he said. “Just enough to clear a path. You don’t have to burn the world. Just the edge of it.”

Jordan stared at him. “You’re insane.”

Revan met his gaze. “You got a better idea?”

Jordan didn’t answer.

I closed my eyes. The heartbeat inside me matched the rhythm of the horns below. Fast. Heavy. Waiting.

“I can try,” I said quietly.

Revan’s hand slid to the back of my neck, grounding me. “You’re not alone.”

The air shifted again — the same hum I’d felt in the temple. The marks on my arm began to glow.

The soldiers below reached the halfway point of the slope.

Revan nodded once. “Now.”

I raised my hands, trying to focus. The power moved fast, too fast. It wanted out. I held it back as best I could, guiding it instead of unleashing it.

A ring of light burst outward, sweeping across the cliff face. The ground shook. Rocks split and rolled down the slopes. The soldiers stumbled, shouting.

For a moment it worked.

Then the light surged again, harder than before. I tried to pull it back, but it fought me, alive and hungry.

Revan’s voice broke through the roar. “Lora. Stop.”

“I can’t.”

He grabbed me, wrapping his arms around me. “Then let me in.”

The world flashed gold. I felt his energy reach into mine, steady and dark, pulling at the fire to calm it. For a second, everything stilled. The light softened.

The soldiers stopped climbing. They were staring up at us, their formation broken.

Revan’s forehead rested against mine. “Good.”

But then the air changed again.

A new sound cut through the valley — not horns, not footsteps. A scream.

High, sharp, and not human.

Revan froze. “What is that?”

Jordan turned toward the sound. His face went pale. “Above.”

Shadows moved across the sky — huge shapes with wings that glowed faintly in the light.

The soldiers looked up too, some falling to their knees.

Revan’s voice was low. “They called them.”

“The Seraphs,” Jordan whispered.

I had only heard the name once — creatures said to be born of light and punishment. The Council’s final weapon.

They dove fast, wings slicing through the air. The first one hit the ground near the soldiers, and the explosion shook the valley.

Revan pulled me down behind the rocks as the shockwave hit. “Stay low.”

The sky filled with fire and smoke. The Seraphs moved like living storms, tearing through everything.

Jordan shouted over the noise. “They’re killing their own men.”

Revan’s eyes were on the nearest creature. “No. They’re clearing the way.”

“For what?” I yelled.

The ground split open below the lead Seraph. From it rose a circle of black stone, carved with the same marks as the temple.

Revan’s expression turned to horror. “They’re opening another gate.”

Jordan looked at me. “What does that mean?”

“It means they’re trying to take the flame back,” Revan said.

The mark on my arm started glowing again, reacting to the symbols below. The fire rose in me, wild and desperate.

Revan turned to me fast. “You have to block it. If they open that gate, the Darkborn will come through again.”

“I don’t know how.”

“Then let me help.”

He grabbed my hands, pressing his palms against mine. The fire surged between us, golden and black. My vision blurred.

Jordan moved to stand in front of us, his sword raised as another Seraph dove low.

The creature’s wings slammed into the ground, sending debris flying. Jordan was thrown back against the rocks, blood spraying from his mouth.

“Jordan!” I screamed.

Revan didn’t let go. “Focus.”

The fire burned through us both, bright enough to light the whole valley. I could feel it tearing at me, pulling in every direction.

Revan’s voice came through the chaos. “Listen to me. You’re not the flame. You’re the one who holds it.”

I tried to breathe. “It’s too much.”

“You can do this.”

The light in the valley flared. The Seraphs turned toward us, their eyes like suns.

Revan shouted, “Now!”

I screamed. The fire exploded upward, a column of gold that tore through the sky. The Seraphs shrieked, their wings burning as the light hit them.

The gate below cracked, its stone melting. The soldiers scattered.

When the light faded, the valley was silent. The Seraphs were gone. The gate had collapsed into dust.

I fell to my knees, shaking. Smoke curled from my fingertips.

Revan knelt beside me, his breathing heavy. “You did it.”

Jordan crawled toward us, his face pale, blood on his chin. “Barely.”

Revan helped him up, then looked at me again. “We have to move before they regroup.”

I nodded weakly. “Where?”

He glanced at the burned valley. “Anywhere but here.”

The wind shifted, carrying the faint smell of rain and ash.

Jordan pressed a hand to his ribs. “We can’t outrun the Council forever.”

Revan’s eyes went dark. “We won’t have to.”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

He looked toward the horizon, where the light still shimmered faintly from what I’d done. “They’ll come for you again. All of them. And when they do, we stop running.”

I stared at him, realizing what he meant. “You’re talking about war.”

He didn’t deny it. “I’m talking about survival.”

Jordan shook his head. “You start that fight, there’s no going back.”

Revan’s gaze didn’t waver. “There isn’t already.”

The wind rose again, colder this time. In the distance, faint howls echoed through the valley. Not wolves. Something else.

I pressed a hand to my stomach. The heartbeat inside me was calm now, steady. But it wasn’t silent.

In the quiet that followed, I heard it again — the child’s voice, soft and certain.

“It’s already begun.”

Revan looked at me sharply. “What?”

I swallowed hard. “They’re coming.”

He reached for his blade. “Who?”

The voice answered for me, whispering through my mind like wind through smoke.

“Everyone.”

The first horn sounded again, louder than before.

And this time, it came from every direction.