“She lost control. Her magic—” Leywani swallowed hard. “It started leaking out of her, thick black smoke pouring into the air. And with it… something came. Something… terrifying.”
She trailed off, and an unnatural stillness fell over the table. Even the fire in the hearth seemed to hush, save for a single crackle that echoed like a warning through the silence.
Alena’s mind reeled, heart thudding hard against her ribs. “She—she summoned something?” Her hands clenched Leukos’ damp cloak. “Ley… what did you see?”
But Leywani wouldn’t meet her gaze. Her eyes dropped to the empty vial in her hand, knuckles white around it.
Alena leaned forward. “Leywani?—”
Before she could press further, Theo lifted a hand, halting her. He faced Leywani, his tone calm. “What did the commanders do next?”
Leywani met his gaze. “They panicked. All of them. Even that monster Tarxi. I don’t know the details, but Dalmatius… He struck some kind of deal with Katell. He promised they’d let the Freefolk go—if she stayed behind. And she said yes.”
“And then?” Theo coaxed.
“The Freefolk left, and Katell stood watch on top of the palisade,” Leywani said hoarsely. “Day and night, she held the gate shut with magic to keep the soldiers from following. As far as I know, they all got out.” She paused, her voice thinning to a whisper. “And then they took us to Kisra.”
An icy knot formed in Alena’s gut.
“And the Emperor came for Kat,” Leywani continued in a small voice.
Leukos’ jaw tightened. “What did he want?”
“Katell’s magic. The beasts she can summon—demons, I found out later. They brought her to a pool inside a temple—the water was completely black. I’d never seen anything like it. They dunked her inside, and when she came out…” Leywani’s voice faltered. “She wasn’t the same.”
Alena’s hand flew to her mouth, stifling her gasp.
“Black,” Theo muttered, eyes narrowing. “Like Laran’s Tears.”
“They did it to control her,” Leukos replied.
“Those Tears made her sick,” Alena whispered, dread curling in her stomach. “They made her lose her mind, and they dunked her into a pool of them? By the Moon… what will happen to her now?”
Leukos and Theo exchanged a glance—tight, uneasy, full of things left unsaid.
Alena shot to her feet, throat tightening. “No, she can’t be… We can’t abandon her yet. She recovered once. She can do it again.”
The door creaked open behind her. A gust of cold air curled through the smoke-darkened hut, stirring the rushes on the floor. Alcaros ducked inside, his expression grim. “We need to warn Volcos.” His eyes flicked from Alena to Leukos. He’d been listening. “Katell’s not the same enemy as before. She might be stronger than any of us imagined?—”
“She’s not our enemy!” Alena’s voice rang out, fierce and broken all at once.
The silence that followed was thick enough to drown in.
Alena swung towards Leywani, seeking support, but her friend shook her head slowly. “I’m sorry, Alena. I came to warn you.” Leywani rose with a tremor, her eyes hollow. From beneath her tattered tunic, she produced a scroll, its edges crumpled and stained, and extended it to Alena without a word.
Alcaros narrowed his eyes. “I thought I searched you.”
Leywani didn’t even blink. “You missed it.”
Alena took the scroll, her hands trembling. Unrolling it, her gaze swept over the careful handwriting in Koine—military notations, positions, routes—a precise account of the Rasennan legions’ movements.
Her pulse quickened. Without a word, she passed it to Leukos. He rose from his seat across the table and unfolded the parchment. His eyes moved fast, jaw tightening with every line. When he was done, he handed it to Theo, his expression darkening.
“Who gave this to you?” Alena asked.
Leywani hesitated. Her lips parted, then shut again. Her gaze slid—unmistakably—to Leukos.
Theo leaned forward. “Did he look like Leukos?”
