“They said the gods had warned them about a demon…” Alena murmured, recalling the druids’ unyielding certainty at the hillfort. Since arriving in the Western Lands, she’d kept herdistance—and the wolves had ensured the druids did the same. “One with enough power to end us all. At the time, I thought they meant me—the Omega. But now…” Her fingers tightened around the apple. “I think they meant Katell.”
Nik’s brow furrowed, and he sat up, elbows braced on his knees. “What exactly did the White Mare tell you?”
The half-eaten apple sagged in Alena’s hand, forgotten. “She’s not a demon,” she said quietly. “She’s a demigoddess.”
Leukos froze, his waterskin hovering just shy of his mouth. “Are you certain?”
Alena set the fruit aside. “When I left the sanctuary in the mountains, the Maiden revealed it to me. Kallinos isn’t Katell’s father. We’re only half-sisters.” Her gaze fixed on the ground, as though the truth were etched there. “Her real father… is a god.”
A breeze rustled the leaves overhead, brushing against Alena’s skin like a whisper.
Nik’s breath hitched. “Laran.”
Alena leaned back, exhaling through her nose, tension coiling along her spine. “Yes. You were right, Nik. The Mark on Katell’s neck belongs to the White Mare. She tried to hide my sister’s true nature to protect her, but it revealed itself in the Freefolk Lands.”
Nik rubbed a hand over his mouth, shaken. “It’s why your sister could heal herself.”
“And why she’s so strong,” Leukos added, his brow furrowed.
Alena nodded, her words low, heavy with what lay ahead. “I needed you to know before we ride out. The chances of defeating her are slim, but if we can lure her to the standing stones, there might still be a way. The old magic there… it could break whatever the Rasennans have done to her.” She looked between them. “She’s my sister. I have to try.”
Leukos’ fingers curled around hers, grounding her with silent reassurance.
Nik leaned back on one elbow, the apple almost finished in his hand. He took one last bite, gaze fixed on the sunlight flickering through the trees. “It sounds…”
“Impossible?” Alena offered, a wry edge masking the tightness in her chest.
He smirked, flicking the apple core into the grass. “I was going to say suicidal.”
Alena’s heart sank. “I know… I?—”
He brushed her words aside, his expression softening. “But whatever you need. I’m with you, Red. You know I can never say no when it comes to your sister.”
The children’s laughter rang out—light and unburdened—piercing the tension like sunlight through clouds, a reminder of everything they were fighting for.
Leukos lifted her hand to his lips, pressing a kiss to it with the gentlest reverence. “We fight together,” he murmured. “And no matter what, we live to fight another day.”
The three of them fell silent, gazes drawn towards the grove where Kaixo and the other children played, unaware of the storm gathering at the border.
“We live to fight another day,” Alena repeated, and meant it with all her heart. Rising to her feet, she brushed the grass from her tunic. “I’d better go tell Kaixo the news.”
Alena satcross-legged in the soft grass between Damona and Leywani, who were threading wildflowers into necklaces with children. Kaixo and Damona’s son flitted around them, chased by Apollo. The scent of crushed lavender drifted on the breeze, warm and heady beneath the summer sun.
She had told Kaixo earlier that she would leave soon. He hadn’t said a word—just shrugged, eyes fixed on the horizon, as if it didn’t matter whether she stayed or not.
She’d tried not to take it to heart, but it had stung. Still, she remained, soaking in every moment, watching him run and play and live, needing to be certain she was doing the right thing.
Kaixo appeared stronger now—his skin bronzed by the early summer light, limbs sturdier from the regular meals the Westerners provided. There was a brightness to him she hadn’t seen since the previous summer. He smiled more. Laughed louder. And Damona had assured her he was finally sleeping through the night.
This was what safety looked like. And though Alena longed to stay, the alliance needed her for the upcoming battle.
Katell needed her.
For now, she clung to the serenity of the lavender fields, the sunlight warm on her skin, and the sound of Kaixo’s laughter drifting on the breeze.
“Alena, it’s time.” Leukos stood at the edge of the field, wrapped in his travel cloak. The gravity in his voice struck her like a stone to the chest.
She had known this moment would come. Had rehearsed it in her mind a dozen times. Yet no amount of foresight could soften the pain of saying goodbye.
