XXI

When the dragon’s body vanished in a final, violent burst of purple flame, Kael Runo was left standing alone. He swayed for a moment before collapsing near Lyra, who had fallen just as the great beast had.

The first to reach them was Kara. Smothering a cry, the Aether Mage rushed forward and gathered her sister into her arms.

“Lyra! Lyra!” she pleaded, giving her a gentle shake.

Her eyes then fell upon Kael’s still form. As an Aether Mage, she could feel his life force waning, a tide of suffering so potent that his memories began to seep into her own consciousness. The sheer weight of his past crashed over her, and she began to weep. Her resentment for his betrayal was washed away by a wave of sympathy, which quickly curdled into a cold fury directed at the Orian people for what they had made him.

“Damn it! Kael!” Haken’s voice cut through the air. Kara registered him moving to Kael’s side, but she couldn’t tear her gaze from her sister. She buried her face against Lyra’s shoulder, her body wracked with uncontrollable sobs.

Panting and spattered with the dragon’s black blood, Kiro let his blade dematerialize. He stared into the distance, his mind a blank slate, until the fog of battle finally cleared and the scene before him snapped into focus: Kara weeping over Lyra, and Haken desperately trying to heal the mortally wounded traitor.

His heart seized. Lyra could be injured—or worse. Not an hour had passed since she had confessed her love for him, and the thought of losing her was unbearable. He had only known her for two months, yet her infectious laugh and radiant spirit had completely captivated him. He staggered toward the twins, collapsing to his knees beside them. When he reached out to touch Kara’s shoulder, she cried out and recoiled from him like a startled animal.

Reya hurried over to comfort the distraught girl, leaving Kiro frozen and speechless. The distant sounds of battle were a muted roar he could no longer hear. His world had narrowed to Lyra, lying pale and still upon the crystalline floor. He drew closer, his breath catching until he saw the gentle rise and fall of her chest. The crimson jewel in his earring glinted as a profound weight lifted from his shoulders. With a choked laugh, dizzy with relief, he pulled the Pyre Mage into his arms. In that moment, he knew he never wanted to be without her.

Haelia rushed to his side, worry etched onto her fine features. “Is she…?”

Kiro managed a weary smile. “She’s fine. Just unconscious.”

Hearing the raw affection in his voice, Elisia gave the commander a knowing smirk. A faint blush crept up his neck, and he looked down at the woman in his arms. Perhaps, he thought, love wasn’t such an impossible notion after all.

His reverie was shattered by Haken’s strained voice. “Damn it! Breathe!” The Half-Elf roared, gathering his energy for another healing spell. Just then, a powerful explosion rocked the foundations of the base.

“Haken, let me help.”

He glanced over his shoulder to see Kara standing behind him, her expression calm and a fierce resolution burning in her eyes.

“You would help me save him?” Haken asked, his voice laced with disbelief. “The enemy of your precious Princess?”

Kara waved the question away. “I would help the man who saved my sister’s life.”

A shiver went down Haken’s spine as he met the Aether Mage’s gaze. A slow grin spread across his face as he twined his fingers with hers. Kara returned the smile, and together, they closed their eyes, merging their power to heal the dying man.

Reya joined Haelia and Elisia, who stood a few paces behind Kiro. Another tremor shook the ground, and she offered the young Fated Mages a grim, pitying smile.

“I hate to say it,” Kiro said softly, his voice heavy with conviction, “but this base is lost.”

Reya turned away, gritting her teeth. Elisia and Haelia exchanged a look of understanding, knowing how agonizing it must be for Reya to lose her home city and now the base she commanded. As Kara and Haken helped a resuscitated Kael to his feet, Kiro was already formulating their escape.

“We’ll need a transport shield, Reya. Can you manage it?” he asked gently.

She pushed her grief aside and nodded. “Yes. But what about the other Sentinels?”

Kiro’s expression hardened. Haken overheard as he approached with Kara and a barely conscious Kael. “Leave them,” Kiro said, his tone detached. “Our priority is getting the Fated Mages to the Princess. It would be a tragedy to lose everyone trying to save a few trainees.”

He was right, and they all knew it. Kiro’s mind was made up. “We withdraw now. Reya, when you’re ready.” Carrying Lyra, Kiro led Elisia and Haelia toward the balcony.

“It’s for the best,” Kara murmured as she passed Reya. “Imagine the lives we can save once we master these abilities.”

Reya squeezed her eyes shut, fighting back a fresh wave of tears. She couldn’t allow herself to think about the people she was leaving to die. An image of a younger Aden flashed in her mind—a memory from the year they had trained together, and the nights that followed. She violently shook it away, gathered the energy for the shield, and took one last, lingering look at the base she had called home.

A sphere of shimmering blue energy enveloped them, and they drifted silently into the forest, away from the battle raging at Everwood.

They touched down in a clearing a mile away. As Reya dropped the shield, a massive explosion lit up the night sky behind them.

“What was that?” Elisia whispered.

“Each base is equipped with a self-destruct mechanism,” Kiro explained, his gaze fixed on Reya. “Triggered only at the Base Commander’s discretion.” Her face obscured by her hair, she pushed past them and dropped a small remote onto the forest floor. Kara gave Reya’s shoulder a supportive squeeze before rushing to help Haken, who was now supporting Kael’s full weight.

The others began to set up a makeshift camp. The finality of the explosion meant that no one from Arak could have survived. Kiro laid Lyra down gently before turning on Haken. “He needs to be restrained. I’ll only permit him to travel with us if he’s bound and his powers are sealed.”

For a tense moment, fury flashed between them, but after a heated, silent exchange, Haken conceded with a hissed sigh. He wrapped the quiet Kael in a binding spell, and shimmering shackles of Lumen energy materialized around his wrists, securing him well away from Lyra.

By the time Reya and Kara returned, a small fire was crackling. The four Fated Mages sat together, and Reya and Kara shared a silent, comforting embrace.

After a long pause, Kara spoke. “I feel like I should apologize.”

“For what?” Kiro snapped, his exhaustion doing little to temper his frustration.

Kara scowled. “Let me finish, you moron. It feels like ever since Lyra and I arrived, it’s been nothing but chaos. Sometimes I wish we—” Her voice broke, choked by tears.

“None of this is your fault,” Reya said softly.

“Yeah,” Elisia added with a wry smile. “You can’t take all the credit for this mess.”

“War has been a part of Mynora long before you came,” Haelia added.

“While your arrival in Oria certainly set events in motion,” Kiro admitted, his tone softening, “this war with Arak is an ancient conflict.”

Wiping her eyes, Kara managed a weak smile. She caught Haken’s gaze across the fire and felt a sense of warmth from him. “Thank you, everyone. I guess I’m just… tired.”

“We all need sleep,” Reya asserted, her maternal instincts taking over. “Kiro and Haken will take the first watch. Wake Haelia and me in three hours.” The tension finally broke, and a few weary chuckles went around the group.

Later, Kara crept over to where Lyra was resting. “You awake?”

Yes. I heard everything, Lyra projected into her mind. And I saw what he sent you. She shared the flood of memories and warnings she had received from Kael.

Kara’s eyes widened. Whoa. I think you’ve got an intense one after you.

Oh, be quiet. Does he talk to you, too?

He warns me not to trust Kiro or the Princess. What do you think?

I think he’s dangerous and trying to make us doubt ourselves, Lyra replied, though she couldn’t stop a stray thought of Kael from surfacing. And what if he’s also kind of hot?

Kara snorted with laughter, and soon both sisters, exhausted but safe, drifted off to sleep.