Guards came running, swords drawn, boots pounding toward the garden where Inderia stood frozen in her velvet and silk.
Kaelith’s voice slammed into my mind like a thunderclap, all fury and flame.
Pass on a message, little storm.
The moment any guard, or anyone else lays a hand on you, she growled, her words edged in fire.They will all burn. That includes Brosha.
I stepped forward, keeping my voice calm, though my heart still thundered. “She says… if anyone touches me… they’ll burn. That includes Brosha.”
Inderia went pale.
Her eyes darted from me to Kaelith, who crouched low like a predator ready to lunge, smoke curling from her nostrils.
Inderia’s jaw tightened, and she waved off the guards. “Stand down!” she snapped, her voice trembling beneath the veneer of command. “This isn’t over.”
“No,” I said, holding her gaze, “it’s not.”
She spun on her heels and stormed off, her ruby-studded robe snapping behind her like a banner of retreat.
Kaelith snorted, her wings flaring wide as she rose into the air with a powerful gust, disappearing into the clouds above. But I felt her fury simmering hot through the bond.
It hadn’t left.
Not yet.
Meri burst into the garden from the healer’s door, skirts lifted, panic written across her face as she glanced at my wound.
“Ashe!” she gasped. “Gods… are you?—”
“I’m alright,” I said quickly, wincing as the pain in my shoulder flared again.
Meri’s eyes narrowed. “Come. Now.”
She led me inside and helped me onto a cot, her hands already glowing with a soft, pale light.
The moment her magic touched my skin, the tight, raw heat in my shoulder began to ease.
I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding. I was safe. For now.
I returned to the barracks just before dusk, every muscle in my body aching, my skin still warm from Meri’s healing magic. The others were already back, scattered across the bunks and benches, talking in low voices that cut off the moment I walked in.
“I’m fine,” I said, my voice flat, the exhaustion dragging down every syllable. “Inderia tried to pull something in the garden. Kaelith made sure it didn’t last.”
Their eyes burned with quiet rage, but I lifted a hand. “Later. I just need a godsdamned washcloth and a bed.”
No one argued.
I cleaned up quickly, peeling off the bloodstained tunic and slipping into a clean one. I barely remembered climbing into bed before my eyes closed.
Sleep hit fast.
But it felt like seconds before a hand shook my shoulder.
“Ashe,” Riven’s voice whispered. “Get up. You need to see this.”
My eyes cracked open. She was already dressed in full gear, her red braid swinging over one shoulder.
Outside. Everyone was outside.
