XI

The Sovereign City's Ruins 

A fire blazed against the encroaching dark, its crackle a steady rhythm beneath the chirping of crickets and the murmur of quiet conversations. When a sleepy Kara opened her eyes, these were the sounds that met her. She was lying on a makeshift cot; her head rested on a pillow fashioned from a balled-up piece of dazzling red fabric, and a folded garment served as her mattress. A few feet away, Reya, Aden, and Kiro sat with Lyra, their forms silhouetted by the small fire that danced merrily in their midst. All around them, chunks of crystal and the colossal skeletons of buildings—the ruins of the once-great Sovereign City—lay scattered like the bones of a fallen giant. A sharp chill seized Kara, and she shuddered. Drawn by the warmth of the flames and the comfort of her friends, she rose and hurried toward their circle.

Naturally, Lyra was the first to notice her. With a squeal of delight, she launched herself at Kara, enveloping her in one of her trademark bear hugs. Seeing that the lower half of Lyra's gown was missing, Kara correctly guessed that the glistening crimson pillow had been sacrificed from the same garment.

"KARA! You've missed so much!" Lyra chirped, pulling back. "I'll fill you in now that you're awake. Okay, so first—"

Kara offered her sister a drowsy smile, a silent invitation to continue, but a concerned Reya hurried over and gently drew her aside.

"Lyra, I think she should sit down before you launch into your tale," Reya observed, her tone almost maternal. "She's had a tough day."

Kiro snorted from his place by the fire. "We've all had a tough day, Reya," he said, his voice low as he fiddled with an earring, his gaze fixed moodily on the flames. "We just watched the most secure city in Oria fall. Not to mention we let the culprits escape, one of whom is a dangerous criminal with extraordinary powers. The Princess will not be pleased…" He trailed off, his words hanging in the tense air.

Reya guided Kara to a vacant space on the log she shared with Aden, positioning the girl between them. She then turned her attention back to the others.

Lyra, meanwhile, had settled next to the irritable Kiro, giving him a playful nudge with her elbow. A ghost of a smile touched his lips, and he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. With a sigh of contentment, she leaned into him, her gaze returning to the fire—her own Pyre magic—which floated merrily above the ground without need for fuel. Kiro returned his gaze to the flames, though he shot her a confused glance, his handsome features a mask of stoicism. After making sure Kara was warm, fed, and comfortable, Reya sat back down and rolled her eyes at the pair.

Kara caught the frustrated gesture and let out a soft laugh. "I know the feeling," she muttered, and in that quiet moment, a new thought surfaced: where was the enigmatic Elf? She surmised he was one of the "culprits" Kiro had mentioned.

Beside her, Aden stirred and cleared his throat. "Well, since the ever-enthusiastic Lyra seems a bit preoccupied, I suppose I'll tell the tale of our battle with Kael."

Kara arched an eyebrow. "Kael? Who's that?"

Reya's voice, though still matter-of-fact, was now tinged with a certain smugness. "Kael Runo. The Dragon. The silver-haired man you saw with the Elf. He was responsible for the city's destruction."

Aden snorted, his irritation showing, and continued. Kiro, now engrossed in the telling, looked up at his friend, a strange mixture of regret and rage clouding his expression. "As I was saying, after you passed out, Lyra rushed Kael and unleashed a very powerful spell. We all thought we had won, but then he attacked Kiro again. Unfortunately for Kael, our Kiro is a formidable swordsman, and he nearly ended it then and there. But the Elf from the ball intervened, striking Kiro down." At this, Lyra rested her head on his shoulder, cuddling closer in a silent offer of comfort.

Aden took a long drink from a canteen before he went on. "Then things got chaotic, even by my standards. Kiro charged Kael, but the Elf yanked Kael aside at the last second. The move left Lyra, who had been standing right behind them, completely exposed to Kiro's furious advance. Then—and for what reason, I can't possibly imagine—Kael leaped in front of Lyra, taking Kiro's energy sword straight through the chest."

Lyra shuddered, the memory of Kael's blood spraying her face still searingly vivid. Kara gazed at her sister in dismay, imagining the horrific scene. That's awful, Lyra! she mouthed, her own eyes wide. The now-pale girl simply nodded, fresh tears welling in her eyes.

Aden concluded his story, pacing as he recounted the Elf's incredible intervention. "...he somehow healed Kael completely! There wasn't even a scratch on him! He just stood, looked back at us one last time, and then they vanished in a cloud of smoke."

Reya interjected, elaborating on a point her companion had missed. "When we found you, Kara, the Lumen symbol on your amulet was glowing. I think it's safe to assume that the Elf you so publicly acquainted yourself with at the ball is the Lumen Mage."

A faint blush colored Kara's cheeks, but she understood the implication. "So… he's a good guy, right?" she asked timidly, carefully watching the reactions of the Oria natives.

Kiro's head snapped up, his nose wrinkling in disgust. "No, he is NOT a good guy, you fool! He's an Elf!"

Startled by his venom, Kara shot to her feet and stalked toward him. "HEY! I was just asking a question! There's no need to bite my head off!"

Disentangling herself from their quarrel, Lyra slipped from under Kiro's arm and moved away. She hurried over to Reya, who was trying to find a comfortable position by the fire. Lyra eyed the pensive Aden, who sat a few feet away with his head in his hands. "Hey, Reya?" she murmured. "Can I ask you something?"

Reya looked up, one eyebrow cocked in suspicion. "You can ask, but that doesn't mean I'll answer."

Lyra giggled, her eyes gleaming with mischief. She gave Reya a suggestive wink and a nudge of her elbow, causing a deep blush to spread across Reya's face. "Good one! I was just wondering if there was something between you and Aden. You know… romantically?"

"NO!" Reya snapped, her voice sharp. "Absolutely not! Never in a thousand years would I even consider that pitiful excuse for a man as—" She stopped mid-tirade, her eyes fixed on Aden, who had removed his shirt to better examine a few wounds. Lyra followed her captivated gaze and laughed. Rising, she gave Reya a few patronizing pats on the head. "Whatever you say." She then returned to the scene of the argument, where Kiro was once again glaring into the fire and Kara was trying to settle back onto her cot.

With a sigh, Lyra lay down in the grass beside her sister. For a while, they were silent, gazing up at the strange and beautiful constellations of Oria.

"Kara," Lyra muttered finally, "how many people do you think died today?"

A distracting headache hammered behind Kara's eyelids, and she rubbed her forehead. She gestured toward Reya, Aden, and Kiro, who were now talking quietly by the fire. "I don't even want to think about it. How are they?"

"They're okay. I mean, it feels like one of those terrible stories from the history books, doesn't it? The kind you never think will happen to you."

Kara nodded, understanding the sentiment completely. She knew the feeling the Sentinels were experiencing—the hollow shock that comes when a lifetime of presumed safety is shattered in a single, terrible afternoon. It was a dreadful, empty, and terrifying sensation.

"What do we do now?" Kara exhaled, trying to wish the headache away with a slow massage of her temples she had learned from Reya.

There was a moment of stillness before Lyra rose and walked confidently back to the fire. She tapped Kiro firmly on the shoulder and asked him their next move. Kara couldn't hear his quiet response, but she watched as Reya and Aden listened intently to their captain.

How did he end up in a leadership position? What a jerk, Kara thought. Crossing her arms defiantly, she marched over to where her sister stood.

Kiro shot her a quick, knowing grin before turning his attention back to Lyra, his arm settling around her waist. "The only logical thing to do is head for Everwood, the nearest Sentinel stronghold. It houses an impressive training program. We will meet with Her Majesty there and discuss our options."

Reya added her voice to the discussion. "I think our first priority should be to determine the Elf's motives. He was clearly a Shadow Elf, working toward whatever goal the Umbral Elves are currently striving for."

Aden now stepped in, his words losing Kara and Lyra entirely. "Not necessarily, Reya. He was a Shadow Elf, but he wasn't affected by the aerystal in the city at all. He didn't even seem to slow down. A normal Elf would have been magically incapacitated for days after that much exposure."

Reya laughed humorlessly. "So you think he was some sort of super-Elf?"

The Master of the Elements shook his head, his brow furrowed in thought. "No. I think he is a Half-Elf working for Arak."

It was Kiro's turn to speak. He took a deep breath, his grip on Lyra's waist tightening. She glanced up at him, perplexed by the sudden tension.

Seeing the confused looks on the sisters' faces, Reya rolled her eyes. The commanding brunette declared, "I think that's quite enough for tonight, gentlemen. The Princess will fill us in when we arrive at Everwood. For now, we should all get some sleep." She fixed her gaze on Aden. "You have first watch. We'll rotate. Wake me in three hours. Good night." She then promptly lay down on the ground and closed her eyes.

Kara and Lyra exchanged a delighted glance and broke into a fit of giggles at Aden's dumbstruck expression. They hurried back to their cot, lying down back-to-back. Aden and Kiro were left staring in disbelief near the dwindling flames. Finally, Kiro clapped his companion on the shoulder, offered a helpless shrug, and went to find his own place to sleep.

Aden sat near the sleeping Reya, sulking as he watched her, resigned to his duty. He mumbled something, but his words were lost to a sudden gust of wind that whipped through the camp. "You're lucky I still like you so much…" With a groan, he buried his face in his hands, hoping the next three hours would pass quickly. All he wanted was to hear her voice again, even if she was shouting at him. At least then, he could be near her.