“Why aren’t you at your post, Sergeant?” The General’s voice cuts through the room.
“Sir, I came to report that a member of the Bloodhowl Unit has been taken. Kidnapped by one of Nekros’ servants.” I reply, standing straighter, my teeth grinding from the restraint to not accuse him of treason.
The room falls silent.
Isolde’s eyes widen with horror. The exact reaction I expect from some. Others exchange alarmed glances or stiffen with unease. But not the General, he stares at me, not with alarm, but irritation. A look I’ve come to know all too well. How dare I walk into his moment of triumph with a crisis?
“We’ll speak in private.” An order.
Before I can respond, Sergeant Blake steps forward, “With all due respect, sir, this concerns everyone in this room.”
“Tell us what happened,” Sensei Sato adds, leaving no room for the General’s dismissal. His tone is calm, but his eyes aren’t.
I take a breath, steadying myself.“After the ball, cadet Rey and I stepped out for some fresh air. We went walking in the woods, stargazing… And that’s when they attacked. Varkuuns and a servant of Nekros.” I swallow hard, forcing the next words out. “They took Avilyna. And the one who took her… Was Alek Morween.”
A wave of gasps ripples through the room. Kazuki Sato’s expression darkens, eyes heavy with devastation and something comparable to resolve. Isolde’s voice, barely above a whisper, breaks the silence.
“That’s not possible. They died. They all died… ten years ago.” But even as she speaks, recognition flickers in her gray eyes, as blood leaks down her nose. Hers and Sensei Sato, the General and all of those who crossed her path in another life, they remember. Those who’ve met Avilyna and felt that strange pull, the haunting familiarity that never quite fitted. Only now, that forgotten thread has snapped back into place.
When Avilyna became her true self, it was as if I witnessed the making of light. And that halo is probably what triggered the attack, now that I think about it. That’s what he was waiting for, her awakening… No wonder her mother hid her away; she knew that once Avilyna came to her full self, she’d be hunted down. Because you’ll have to be blind not to feel her raw power, and where there’s power, there’s greed.
My father’s mask slips; Randall Brackwell doesn’t hide his fury well. No, it twists across his face, resembling a storm taking shape, a familiar look. He knows who she is now. The General always had a strange fixation for the Queen, an edge of admiration wrapped in something darker.
Probably started when he was a young cadet, that’s when they all met, Wyll’s parents, Sensei Sato, the Queen and King Loras, a century ago. Randall treated Camyla with a kind of veiled reverence, the sort reserved for things you want but can’t have.
He spoke kindly to her face, but behind closed doors, he spat venom about the Morween’s ruling. Over the years, I saw that bitterness evolve, and it became talk of lycan superiority, whispered during full moons when the valkyrie guests had their backs turned, his resentment dressed as facts.
"I warned you years ago," the General says, his voice swelling with vindication. "Before the Bloodmoon War and again after the battle. I repeated myself again and again. The valkyries want to rule Elgar. They want Kvirr for themselves, and nowyou finally see it. The prince we thought dead has been working with Nekros all along, plotting our downfall. All they needed was the lost princess, and we, blind, trusting fools, handed her to them on a silver platter." He spits the words as facts, motivated by voices echoing in agreement. While a few stay silent in skepticism and others mumble in confusion, I try to seize back the moment.
"Avilyna is not the enemy!"
A low chuckle slips through the tension.
“Oh, son,” the General says softly, pity tainting every syllable. “We all know the power of a pretty face.” The words strike like a slap. Wrath surges through me, and I stride toward him. Shoving Sergeant Blake aside, towering over my father by at least three heads. No one else dares to intervene.
Good.
This is a family matter.
“How long have you been plotting this, you piece of shit?” I growl, gripping the front of his uniform, the fabric crumpling in my fist.
"You've always been a disappointment, Kai,” he sneers. "Too soft, too weak. You let your emotions cloud your judgment."
"Maybe," I snap back, "but at least I still have asoul." The words hang in the air, heavy and biting. His eyes narrow, the smirk faltering for a split second. But then the General laughs in my face.
“You’re deranged, boy. Enough of this, or I’ll suspend you until your conduct reflects the values of a true Legion soldier. Maybe some time in isolation will do you good.”
At that, the doors slam open with a thunderous bang, making heads turn. And for the first time in what feels like forever, relief floods my chest. Myrealfamily has arrived. The General uses the moment to wrench free from my grasp. Straightening hisuniform with stiffness, trying to mask his damaged ego behind a polished sneer.
But the cowboy who walks in commands all the attention. Every inch, the chaos he was born to be. Hat in one hand, revolver in the other, he dips into an exaggerated bow.
“Sorry, we’re late,” Wyll drawls, a razor-edged grin on his face. “But everyone knows important people always make an entrance.” At that, the Bloodhow Unit all roll their eyes.
“Effective immediately, Alek and Avilyna Morween are declared traitors to the realm of Elgar and are to be captured at once—” The General doesn’t get the chance to finish, an annoyed voice cuts through the chamber.
“It’s Avilyna MorweenRey,” Vanessa says from the threshold. “If you’re going to sentence people based on paranoia, at least have the courtesy to get their names right.” She adds flatly, leaving the room in a tense silence, every pair of eyes shifting between them. A smirk tugs at the edge of my mouth. We may have started on a rocky path, but at this moment, Van’s my sister in every way that matters.
The General looks at each of us, unimpressed, before his booming voice sentences us. “And anyone who aids or harbours them will be arrested and brought before the Council on charges of treason!”
