LOGINLong Time Ago (Part 3)
YOUNG GILDEON
Old Haemos had left for an expedition to the east, taking a whole battalion with him. Gildeon saw his chance. He packed supplies—food, water, salve, and some materials to build a shelter. He didn’t know how long he’d be gone, so he had to be well-stocked.
Gildeon slipped out through a tunnel most salamanders didn’t know about. The path led into the growing jungle, but something stopped him. So
ARAHEENHer mother rose and walked toward her, a proud smile gracing her beautiful face.Tears spilled down Araheen’s cheeks. Emotion swelled in her chest, overwhelming and unrestrained, and she found herself meeting her mother halfway, throwing herself into her arms.She felt warm. Solid. Alive.Impossible, she knew that. But for a few fleeting moments, she allowed herself to believe it was real. And so she cried even harder.“I’ve missed you so much,” she whispered against her mother’s chest, breathing in her familiar, sweet scent. “Are you real?”“No,” her mother said gently. “I’m an Echo.”Araheen pulled back just enough to look up at her. “Echo?”“A remnant of consciousness that was sustained after death.” Her mother brushed a hand through her hair, and Araheen leaned into the warmth of the gesture. “But u
ARAHEENShe wasted no time flying to Lothair’s estate.On the grounds, she encountered Lady Vaelina and Isalee. They did not seem surprised to see her, but instead of the usual reflexive snobbery they had often greeted her with, they simply lowered their gazes and stepped aside.Araheen already knew that being Zephyr’s marked bride came with its privileges, but she didn’t know how to feel seeing her stepmother and stepsister under these circumstances.She moved past them, intent on ignoring them, until a thought brought her to a halt.Turning, she asked bluntly, “Have you both been Fractured as well?”These were the last two women she would have suspected of being swayed by a Fractured. But after everything she had learned, she could no longer be certain.“How dare you insinuate that?” Lady Vaelina snapped, her offense restrained in the measured way of the Non-Fractured. It fl
ARAHEENShe had slept for what felt like forever, unable to tell whether it was from exhaustion or from the grief of knowing she would never see her father—the only true family she had left—again. All her life, all she had ever wanted was to please him. To become a daughter worthy of him.In the end, she had heard the words she needed—both the hurtful truth and the satisfying closure.She sat up slowly, her gaze drawn at once to her father’s ceremonial robe, carefully hung on a stand in the corner. She couldn’t tell whether Zephyr truly believed that placing her in the same private chamber her father had been using whenever he stayed at the Grand Castle was an effective way to grieve.Nevertheless, she was grateful. It would serve as a reminder of what she needed to do to bring him down.She rose from the bed and retrieved her sigil needle and phoenix dagger from the nightstand before stepping onto the
ARAHEENThe words left her reeling. It was the last thing she had expected to hear from her father. Questions crowded her mind, and she had no idea where to begin.“How…” Araheen murmured. She knew her mother had once been a scholar—born into a family of them—but she couldn’t imagine her discovering something like Awakening while the rest of the sylphs remained unaware.“Your mother was a highly curious woman,” her father said. “She told me of the things she learned and uncovered—some so blasphemous that when she was younger, the Oracles took her away to the Isle of the Broken and kept her there for a time.”Her memories of her mother were few, given how young she had been when she died. But now, it felt as though she had never known her at all.“A few years after our union, she confessed to me that she had discovered the Sylph Awakening on the Isle of the Bro
ARAHEENShe was surprised to see the Crescent Tower in ruins—unlike the Grand Castle, which had already been restored to its pristine state when they flew over it moments ago.“You’re not going to repair the tower?” she asked as they dismounted.“Lord Zephyr has no intention of doing so,” Theobald said, feeding the bird with a large python he pulled from a satchel strapped to the mount’s side. “He said the tower is merely a symbol of the High Council’s inflated sense of superiority. That they like watching their enemies suffer for their own amusement.”Araheen glanced back at the half-broken structure and realized parts of it remained intact—likely shielded by sigils Garud had not managed to destroy.“It will be brought down soon enough,” her stepbrother added, giving the eagle a single stroke along its neck before guiding Araheen toward the walkable paths inside the tower.“Where’s the Warden?”“I killed him,” he rep
ARAHEENRiding on Garud was unsettling, but it was nothing compared to the unease gnawing at her over Gildeon and the others. Zephyr had assured her no more harm would come to them as long as they were locked away, unable to interfere, but part of her still couldn’t be at peace.And then there was whatever fate awaited her—wherever Zephyr was taking her.“You’ve been quiet,” Zephyr said, turning his head slightly over his shoulder.“Forgive me if I have nothing pleasant to say to my captor,” she replied.He ignored the sarcasm in her tone. “I’m not your captor, and you’re not my prisoner,” he said, his gaze returning to the horizon.“If I’m not, then you shouldn’t be keeping me against my will. You can let me go and—”“I can,” he cut in. “Let you go. But you know I would find you again. There’s nowhe
ARAHShe checked herself in the mirror, smoothing down the pink dress covered in little floral prints—it matched the theme for tonight. It was her first time going to a bachelorette party, and everything she knew about them came from movies.And in those movies, there were usually male strippers.S
ARAHShe stared at the lifeless body of the male stripper, sprawled out across the unfurled cardboard box. Blood seeped from the bullet wound in his back. He’d tried to run after the thug leader warned him not to.And they killed him. Just like that.To scare the hell out of them even more, the thu
GILDEONThey brought Arah to Roselia’s farmhouse. She was still out cold, and it would likely take her a few days to recover. Roselia had set up the back room, lit herbs that filled the air with sharp smoke, and circled Arah with crystals humming with healing energy.Gildeon switched on his dragon
ARAHThug Leader motioned to his men to let the girls go, but then pointed at Mabel, her sister, and the girl who’d offered Arah a cocktail earlier.“Those three, and of course, Cora—they all stay.”He turned back to Arah, sneering, probably waiting for her to object. But she stayed silent. He seem







