“I’d assume he has bodyguards.” Fenn nodded, already half-distracted. “Now, Rynna—”
“Yes,” Calli interrupted again. “There’s definitely something much worse than the regular horde. But that’s not it.” She hesitated, her fingers twisting nervously in front of her.
“Go on,” Fenn urged.
Calli worked her throat to speak. “It’s...Taren.”
Rynna’s brow rose, but it was Fenn who visibly froze, the blood draining from his face. His jaw clenched, and for a brief moment, his carefully constructed control cracked.
“He’s with Skarn?” Fenn’s voice was tight, disbelief warring with something darker—regret, guilt.
Before Calli could respond, though, Kaelith snorted from the corner, “I doubt that.”
Fenn’s head jerked toward Kaelith. “Explain.”
What do you know, snake?Rynna asked.
Kaelith winked at her, a smile curling at his lips before he turned to Fenn, his demeanor annoyingly relaxed. “I’m sure you’re aware the boy came looking for me after he left Ember Reach.”
“Yes,” Fenn ground out through clenched teeth, casting a brief glance at Rynna. He also knew she had followed Taren to Kaelith’s hideout.
Kaelith continued. “Poor kid was beside himself with anger after learning the charges against his parent were false. That they were executed to maintain a cover-up.”
“As I recall.” Fenn’s jaw tightened. “You were the one who put him on that trail. A whispered word during the massacre you orchestrated at the Ascension.”
Kaelith’s smile faltered, his mouth twisting into a grimace. “Yes, well. Not my finest moment...the massacre, that is.”
Just spit it out, Kae.
Kaelith sighed dramatically, his eyes sliding back to her. “You’re no fun.” He shook his head, but there was a seriousness beneath the impish veneer as he continued. “Ember Reach’s elders were hiding something...dark. His parents foundout what it was. Long before Taren, they had also sought me out, asking questions about the Source, its origins, and its limits. They knew my experiments pushed boundaries, and that some of them involved non-Source techniques, while others worked to manipulate it.”
Fenn’s voice was a low growl. “We’ve seen firsthand what came from those experiments.”
“Yes, the Veilroot. I heard you got to test that one firsthand,” Kaelith said, his smirk firmly in place.
KAE!!
“Anyway,” Kaelith continued, waving, “they were terrified for the future of Ember Reach. Desperate for answers.” He paused, spreading his hands in a helpless gesture. “But I didn’t have much to offer them at the time, so they left. It was only years later that I found out they’d been executed. Ostensibly due to traitorous actions. I told the boy as much.”
Fenn pinched the bridge of his nose, his patience fraying. “And what does this have to do with Taren showing up here, not aligned with Skarn?”
“Everything, my enthusiastic Commander.”
I will kill you, Kae.
Kaelith chuckled, holding up his hands in mock surrender. “Fine, fine.” His playful demeanor slipped slightly as he caught the curious look Fenn gave him and Rynna. “Because whatever Taren uncovered about Ember Reach about why his parents were eliminated, it’s tied to the Source.” His voice lowered. “He found me again about three years ago and was obsessed with learning everything I knew about pre-Source Hollow-born techniques. ‘Pure’ elemental power, as he called it.”
“His parents had the same questions for you,” Fenn said, his voice cold. “But you gave them nothing.”
“I didn’t have much. And besides, their potential was limited, wolf. They didn’t have the fundamental training needed to wield that kind of power. Teaching them would’ve been a waste of time,” Kaelith replied with a dismissive wave.
“You’re a monster,” Calli whispered.
Kaelith looked around theatrically, feigning confusion. “Who, me?” He pointed to himself in mock innocence, then turned back to Fenn. “Everyone in Fang Unit had that training, Commander. And Taren...well, he was particularly gifted with it.”
“He always picked it up faster than the others,” Rynna said.
“Ha!” Kaelith pointed at her, grinning. “I knew it was you. Unit Leader over there is far too traditional to stray from the tried-and-true methods.”
