We left at sunrise.No goodbyes. No lingering. Just quiet footsteps and cold wind.The Citadel disappeared behind us like a bad memory.Ronan didn’t say much as the carriage pulled out. His jaw clenched, eyes on the road. The twins were curled up in the opposite seat with Ansel between them, both sleepy, both too quiet for kids their age. Trauma did that. I hated how well I knew that.“Where are we going?” I finally asked.“A place no one will find us,” he said.“You said that about the Citadel.”“I meant no one.”I didn’t ask more. I'd grown to trust him completely. He'd never given me a reason to doubt him. We were on the path for hours. The road narrowed the farther we went. Trees thickened. Civilization fell away.It felt like breathing after being strangled for weeks.Just when I started to relax, Ronan cursed under his breath.“What?”He didn’t answer. Just looked out the window again.“Ronan—”“We’re being followed.”The blood drained from my face. I turned.A black horse. Dis
The moment I saw them, I felt my lungs work again.“Mommy!” they cried in unison, and their little feet ran towards me.I dropped to my knees.Their arms around me felt like a drop of water on the desert ground. They clutched tight, sobs and sniffles muffled against my ripped clothes. I cuddled them up.“I’m here,” I exhaled, barely able to get the words out. “I’m here. I’ve got you.”Talia pulled back just enough to look up at me. Her lip wobbled. “Everything got loud. There were—there were booms. And fire.”Kael nodded furiously. “And people yelling. And then… and then he came.”My eyes went up to Lucien.Kael’s little hand tugged at my sleeve. “He said we had to go.”Talia whispered, “He kept us safe.”Lucien’s gaze never left mine. Neither did mine from his.Of all the people. Of all the godsdamned people in the realm… it had to be him.“Thank you,” I said, my voice low. It nearly killed me to say it. “For getting them out.”He gave a small nod. No smug smile. No sharp remark. Jus
The hallway stretched in front of me like an endless tunnel. My sword stayed raised, pointed at the figure in the dark.“Who’s there?” I asked again, sharper this time.Footsteps.Then a voice.“It’s me,” she said, breathless. “It’s just me.”Ansel stepped into the dim light, hands raised.She looked like hell. Hair wild, clothes wrinkled and stained, a rip at her shoulder like someone had grabbed her. Dirt smudged her cheek.She stopped a few steps away. “I didn’t mean to startle you.”My grip on the sword loosened. Just a little.“What happened to you?"“I—I left the twins for a second. Just a second, I swear. I went to use the restroom, and I heard something, a noise. I followed it…”She hesitated, looking away.“There was an intruder. He must’ve heard me following him. He jumped me. Locked me in one of the old storage rooms. The door jammed shut. I just got out.”Her voice shook on the last part.I took a step closer, scanning her face. Bruises. Fear. “Are you hurt?” I asked.“No
The scent of blood hit me first.Thick. Metallic. Wrong.By the time Ronan and I reached the halls, the everyghing had unraveled. The once quiet halls were not filled with the metallic clang of metals clashing and the cries of people. The Citadel was burning.Not just with fire, but with the kind of chaos that spreads like rot.We didn’t speak. We didn’t need to. Our steps synced in urgency as we rounded the corner, only to come face to face with two rogues snarling through bared teeth, eyes blazing red.They lunged.Ronan moved first. His blade caught the first rogue mid-charge, slashing across its chest. I didn’t have time to watch him finish as the second one was already charging straight at me.I ducked, felling Nyra's energy surge through me. Its claws grazed my side. Pain flashed, but I didn’t stop. I grabbed the dagger I always kept attached to my thigh and drove it deep into the rogue’s back as it turned to strike again. A gasp escaped its throat as it collapsed at my feet.I
The torch flickered as I moved quickly, but carefully—not fast enough to be detected, not slow enough to be caught.The map trembled slightly in my hand, the parchment was worn thin at the edges from use. I had memorized the path weeks ago, but I still checked every turn. One wrong step and I’d end up in the waterway beneath the Citadel or completely lost.It was very helpful that Caelin had drawn these maps. He knew these tunnels. Too well. They thought it was because of his rank. But he told me once that he used to run down here as a boy. Long before the council. Now he was just another secret buried under our feet.I kept walking.The air grew colder the closer I got to the exit. And the stone passage eventually gave way to roots and soil. The path narrowed before opening into the hidden hatch.Caelin had told me once during one of our late-night meetings "If you ever need to disappear, follow the mushrooms" I found the tiny glowing caps now and smiled bitterly.Disappearing was e
I didn’t feel the cold—eating away at my heart until I stepped back into the ballroom.The air had shifted. The music, the laughter—it was all a blur to me. My mind was still replaying Lucien’s voice, still picturing his eyes and that broken look on his face.He knew now.He knew the truth.That didn't change anything for me. But I couldn't deny that fear—the uncertainty echoing in my head.What was he going to do? Would he just accept defeat and return to his pack? Or... would he try to take the twins?I scanned the crowd, immediately looking for them. I was still conscious of all the pepole gathered so I forced myself to stand tall and smile. I didn't need anyone to know I was unraveling.I soon found them near the far corner, hidden behind a pillar. Talia’s curls bounced as she giggled, folding a napkin into some messy shape. Kael sat cross-legged beside her, watching quietly like he always did.My heart gave a small ache. For a second, I just watched them. Safe. Unaware.Then I m