CHAPTER SEVEN

THE MARK ON MYSKIN  

(First Person POV — Aelira)

“He is hurt.”  

It just came out. Pain hit me hard and I couldn't stand up.

I doubled over, forehead hitting cold stone, trying to breathe.

Maerith’s hands were on me fast. “What is it? Talk to me.”  

“Hurts,” I managed. “Anger… no, not anger.”  

Worse. Ugly, wild, out of control.  

Zeirian. It’s always him.

The tunnel felt like it was closing in.  

Torchlight shook against the wet walls. Not enough light.  

Air tasted stale, old, like nobody’s been here in years.  

Another growl from behind us. He’s still out there.

“We have to move. Now,” Maerith said, low and urgent.  

But my legs wouldn’t listen. The pull was too strong.  

I could feel him through the bond. Not words.  

Just blood, rage, and that sick twisting fear.

Then it hit me.  

Snow and blood. Golden eyes gone feral.  

A roar that shook the ground under my boots.  

I lurched forward. Maerith caught my arm before I hit the ground.

“What did you see?”  

“Zeirian,” I whispered. My voice is shaking badly.  

Her face went white. “What about him?”  

“He’s losing it.”

The words hung there, heavy and rotten.  

The curse is winning.  

Maerith cursed under her breath and hauled me forward.  

I followed, half-stumbling, heart hammering like it wanted out.

“What happens if he loses?” I asked.  

She didn’t answer. Not right away.  

That silence scared me more than anything else could. Finally she said, quiet, “No one’s walked away from it.”

Cold hit me hard. “No.” “He’s held it back longer than anyone thought possible,” she said. “He can’t die,” I said too fast. Too desperate. Too loud.

She didn’t argue. She didn’t need to. We both knew. The thought of him gone left a hole in me I couldn’t breathe past. I don't like him. Gosh! I don't like him.

The tunnel got colder the deeper we went.  

The sound from above died out.  

Then I saw the marks on the walls.  

Old symbols. Faint silver in the torchlight.

I stopped.  

“What are those?”  

Maerith slowed. Eyes narrowed.  

“You shouldn’t see them,” she said low.

“What do you mean?”  

“Old magic seals these tunnels,” she said.  

“Most folks just see rock.”  

My hand moved before I thought. Touched one.

Pain blew up behind my eyes.  

I screamed. Fire. Blood. Screaming.  

A woman burning. Trees falling. Snow red.  

Then a voice: “You are supposed to be dead. never meant to live.”

I took my hand back and I fell to my knees.  

Maerith caught me. “Aelira! Look at me!”  

I couldn’t breathe. I knew that voice.  

From before. Somewhere real.

Footsteps echoed ahead.  

We froze.  

Not behind. In front.  

Someone was coming.

Maerith pulled a blade out quiet.  

“You carry knives?” I whispered, stunned.  

“I survived a war,” she said.  

Footsteps got closer. Slow. Careful.

Then he stepped into the light.  

Tall. Broad. Dark hair. Golden eyes.  

Relief hit me so hard I nearly dropped.  

“Zeirian.”

But he was covered in blood.  

Shirt torn. Claw marks deep on his shoulder.  

Dark veins moved under his skin like they were alive.  

The curse was clawing out.

His eyes found mine.  

Relief flashed there, then gone.  

“You’re safe,” he said, rough and torn.  

Hearing it made my knees go weak. I hated that.

Maerith lowered her blade a bit.  

“What happened?”  

“They broke the eastern gate,” he said.  

“How?”

“They had help.”  

The word hit hard.  

“A traitor?” I asked.  

“Yes. And they wanted you.”

My blood went cold.  

Someone inside sent those things for me.  

“You shouldn’t have been alone,” Zeirian said.  

I almost laughed. “You told me to stay inside.”

His countenance changed. “I know.”  

Something in his voice made my anger fade.  

Then I saw it. He was breathing too hard.  

The veins under his skin were spreading.

“Zeirian,” I whispered.  

He quickly moved back , as though I burned him. “What is the issue with you?” “Nothing.”

“Liar.” His eyes flickered. Dangerous.  

“Aelira, don’t.” I stepped closer anyway. “Let me see you.”

“You need to stay back.”  

The way he said it scared me more than the blood. Controlled. Strained. Barely holding.  

Maerith watched us. “The curse is reacting,” she said quiet.

Zeirian didn’t deny it.  

I moved again. This time he growled.  

Low. Animal. Wrong.  

It cut through me.

“Aelira. Stop.”  

But I felt him now. The pain. The fight.  

It came through the bond straight into me.  

“It’s getting worse because of me,” I whispered.

“No.”  

His answer came fast. Too fast.  

“You don’t know that.”  

“I do.”

“How?”  

He hesitated. Then said it.  

“Because when leave me, the situation gets worse.”  

His words choked my heart.

Nobody spoke.  

Even Maerith looked shocked.  

Zeirian turned away, jaw tight.  

“We move. Now.”

We heard a scream through the tunnel.  

Close. Too close.  

Footsteps pounded after it.  

A guard burst around the corner, face white.

“Alpha!”  

“What happened?” Zeirian demanded.  

“They found the lower entrance,” the guard gasped.  

“How many?”

“Twenty. At least.”  

Maerith swore under her breath.  

“They shouldn’t get in here,” she said.  

The guard shook his head. “There’s more.”

Zeirian’s eyes went cold.  

“What else?”  

The guard looked at me.  

And my stomach dropped before he spoke.

“They brought someone with them.” “Who?” The guard swallowed hard. “A man from your father’s court.”My heart stopped. No. Not him. Not here. Only one person from home knew enough to find me. The tunnel felt too small.

Zeirian looked at me. I was already shaking my head. I knew before the guard said it. Then he said it anyway.He says he’s your brother.”