“Only if you let Jax or Tae stay close,” he said, his eyes flicking protectively to Veyna. “She shouldn’t be alone.”
“I’m not going anywhere,” I promised.
He bent down to scoop Elara into his arms, holding her as if she were glass. She murmured something into his neck, and he nodded, pressing a kiss to her forehead before walking toward the castle.
I turned to Veyna, stepping closer. “Come on, sis. Let’s get you home.”
I led Veyna across the grounds toward the barracks. The stars above were muted behind passing clouds, but the torcheslining the paths still burned steady. Tae and Cordelle flanked us silently, their presence comforting but unobtrusive. The others didn’t follow—probably sensing Veyna needed space more than anything.
Tae moved ahead when we reached the door, pushing it open with a soft creak. “Take any of the open bunks,” he said, his voice gentle but firm.
Veyna stepped inside, her gaze sweeping the room as if it were a foreign land. She lingered near the fire pit for a moment before walking past the empty beds and settling on the one closest to Tae’s. “Thank you,” she murmured, fingers brushing the blanket as if she wasn’t sure it was real. “I don’t remember the last time I had a bed.”
Tae’s jaw ticked, but he didn’t say anything. The anger in his eyes wasn’t for her—it was for whoever had stolen those years from her.
“Do you want to wash up first?” I asked.
Veyna shook her head as she sat down, then lay back slowly. “Can I just… rest? Just for a bit.”
I nodded, even though her eyes were already drifting closed. Within seconds, her breathing deepened, and her chest rose and fell in a slow, steady rhythm. The tension in her body unraveled, thread by thread, until she looked almost peaceful.
I turned to Tae and Cordelle, lowering my voice. “Will you watch her? I want to check on Elara too.”
Cordelle gave a soft nod, already moving to adjust the blanket draped over Veyna’s legs. Tae didn’t speak, but the look he gave me was all the answer I needed—protective and unyielding.
I slipped out of the barracks quietly, heart still heavy, but grateful. My sister was safe.
I made my way toward Elara’s room, my boots soft against the stone floor. The castle halls were quiet, the kind of quiet thatalways made me feel like I was trespassing in someone else’s life. I rounded the last corner, just in time to see Zander step through her door.
“Is she okay?” I asked, heart already braced.
He nodded. “She’s asleep. She told me… Veyna took a beating from one of the guards so she wouldn’t have to.”
“Yeah,” I said quietly, the word catching on something in my throat. “I’m aware. Veyna is so used to it…” My voice trailed off, shame and fury coiled in my chest like a second pulse.
Zander stepped forward, his hand settling gently on my shoulder. “Come on. Let’s head to the balcony.”
I followed him in silence, our footsteps echoing down the corridor until we slipped out onto one of the high balconies that overlooked the Ascension Grounds. The wind was cooler here, brushing past us like a whisper from the mountains. Below, the torches burned low, their flickers casting golden halos across the empty grounds.
Zander wrapped his arms around me from behind, pulling me against him until his chin rested on my shoulder. His voice was low and warm in my ear. “Hein and I were frantic, Ashe. We only realized what you had done an hour ago, and by that time, Hein could already sense you were returning.”
I closed my eyes. “I imagine Hein is having a chat with Kaelith right now.” I exhaled, letting the guilt creep into my voice. “But it’s my fault. I asked her to take me.”
Zander chuckled softly, brushing his lips against the shell of my ear. “You do not have the power to force Kaelith to do anything. And Hein knows it.”
I turned my head slightly, catching his profile. “You sure about that?”
“Positive,” he said. “Right now, he’s probably cuddled up to her, just reminding himself she’s still his. Dragons don’t screamwhen they’re angry, not like people do. When threatened, their love scorches the world around them.
I let my head rest against his chest, listening to the steady beat of his heart. We stood like that for a while, the two of us above the world, letting the silence speak for us.
A sudden shimmer rippled across the Ascension Grounds, like moonlight cast upon disturbed water. But there was no water here. Only stone and soil—and something unnatural pressing into our realm.
A gray mist slithered across the ground, uncoiling in elegant, unnatural tendrils. It moved as if it had purpose. Like it had eyes.
Riders scattered. “What is that?” someone shouted.
Kaelith’s voice hissed into my mind, coiled and tight.I feel dark magic.
