XXII

Haken watched Kiro pace before the fire, his silhouette dancing with the flames. Growing weary of the spectacle, the Half-Elf rose and approached Kael’s gaunt form. The man was a pathetic sight, his eyes vacant and hollow. Haken knew he had a duty to return Kael to Arak, a task made infinitely more complicated by Kiro’s presence. All Haken knew of their history was that they had once been the closest of friends, brothers in arms, but something involving a princess and Kael's draconic power had forged a chasm of enmity between them.

Returning to the fire, he took a seat beside a surprised Kiro. "Listen," Haken began, the words tasting like ash in his mouth. "I don’t like you. I probably never will. But if you can bring yourself to trust me, even for a moment, I can help you."

A single eyebrow arched on Kiro’s brow. "Help me how?"

"I know things," Haken groaned, a wave of frustration washing over him. "Just… trust me."

After a moment of tense silence, Kiro gave a reluctant nod. "Fine. Now, Commander, what's the plan?"

"Ravenhold is the logical destination," Kiro announced, his voice regaining its command. "It’s a five-day march from here. Her Majesty and Aden will be waiting to receive us. The route will take us west, along the northern shore of Lake Verna."

Haken considered this for a moment. "Too predictable. The shores of Lake Verna will be crawling with Arakians. Marching around it would be suicide."

"Then what would you have us do?" Kiro sighed, his patience wearing thin. "Walk across the lake?"

A dangerous glint sparked in Haken’s eyes, reflecting the firelight. "Exactly."

Kiro let out a short, incredulous laugh. "Are you serious? Crossing Lake Verna is impossible. It’s haunted! I’d rather take my chances with the Arakian forces than set foot on that water." He scoffed, the sound sharp in the night air. "Ha!" Shaking his head, he rose and strode away toward the trees.

"Moron," Haken muttered under his breath, settling in to wait out the remainder of his watch alone.

Kara awoke in the pre-dawn gloom to find Haken standing over her. A playful twinkle lit his eyes as he pressed a finger to his lips, then gently covered her mouth with his palm. Without a word, he beckoned her to follow, ushering her away from the sleeping camp and into the forest. A thrill of excitement coursed through her, and she followed for several minutes before a sliver of suspicion began to creep in.

"Haken, where are we going?" she whispered, her voice muffled against his hand, which he then removed.

"Just a little further. Are your feet not growing weary?"

Irritation flared at his derisive tone. As arrogant as Kiro, she thought, the sentiment sharp enough that it felt as if she were projecting it directly into his mind. Haken froze, turning on her with an intensity that stole her breath. In the misty, ethereal light of dawn, his keen eyes were all she could see. A palpable energy, a static charge, buzzed in the space between them. Closing the distance, she reached out and laid her hand against his cheek. He closed his eyes, leaning into her touch. Emboldened, she guided his face toward hers until their lips were only a breath apart.

"Do you think the others are awake yet?" she murmured.

"No."

He closed the small distance between them, drawing her into a tender kiss. No reprimand from Reya could have shamed Kara for the affection she felt, and no command from Queen Kyreth could have compelled Haken to pull away. In that moment, nothing else mattered.

Back at the camp, Lyra stirred. She found Kiro meditating at the edge of the clearing and realized with a jolt that Kara and Haken were gone. A blush warmed her cheeks at the memory of her confession the night before. Unable to stop herself, she rushed to Kiro's side and wrapped her arms around his waist from behind.

His eyes snapped open. "Lyra," he breathed, a smile touching his lips as he placed a kiss on the crown of her head.

"Good morning, sunshine!" she chirped.

"Care for a walk?" Kiro asked softly, his gaze drifting to her lips. She nodded, and they slipped away into the woods. He stopped her with a fiery kiss, but when he drew back, a troubled expression clouded his face. "About what you said last night…"

Lyra groaned. "You don't have to say anything. Let's just forget it."

An almost wounded look crossed his face. "Forget it?" he asked, his voice low. "Lyra, I hope you meant what you said. I would hope you were being honest, because I think… I think I’m falling for you." He closed the space between them, his confidence returning as he drew her into his arms. "Love," he whispered, the word a soft promise against her ear.

A joyful cry escaped Lyra’s lips, and she crushed her mouth to his in a passionate kiss. As he moved to kiss her neck, she pulled back just enough to speak. "Sooo," she managed, her voice breathless, "does that translate to an ‘I love you, too’?"

A sly smile played on his lips. He gently lowered her to the soft forest floor, cradling her head in his hands. His gaze locked with hers, intense and unwavering. "I love you," he said, the words resonating with a depth that made a knot of emotion form in her chest. She felt the sting of joyful tears and kissed him again, hoping to lose herself in the feeling.

Meanwhile, Reya was attempting to organize a search party. Haelia took a deep sniff of the air, her nose twitching. "Kara and Haken went that way," she announced, pointing toward the stream. "And Kiro and Lyra are over there!"

Reya set off toward the stream with a troubled grumble. Knowing precisely what was unfolding, Elisia simply laughed and steered the naive Kitsune in the opposite direction. Her smile was knowing. "Come on," she murmured. "I’ll show you."

Eventually, both couples were located and escorted back to camp. After a brief breakfast, Kiro laid out his plan.

"We will make for Ravenhold," he stated. "When we get to Lake Verna, we will circumvent it along the north bank."

Haken cleared his throat. "I still maintain we should procure boats and cross the lake directly."

"Um, clueless Earthlings here," Kara interjected. "Would someone care to explain?"

"Ravenhold is a city on the edge of Lake Verna, the largest lake in Mynora," Reya explained. "But it's better known as the Haunted Lake."

Kiro took over the explanation. "Nearly two centuries ago, during the Second Great War, a village of powerful Shadow Elves stood where the lake is now. When the First Princess sent her army to establish Ravenhold on their land, they resisted. The Elves invoked the ancient spirits of Mynora for aid, but the spirits turned on them, shattering the ground and flooding their settlement."

"So the ghosts of those Elves make the lake uncrossable," Elisia finished. "Boats that set out on it are never seen again. No fish live in its waters. Even its reflection is wrong—the reflection of Ravenhold’s purple crystal architecture appears black and dead in the water."

As Elisia’s voice trailed off, a vision seared through Kara’s mind. She saw Ravenhold, its crystalline towers glistening over the black, still water of the lake. An eerie, ethereal music drifted on the air, a sound that was somehow both calming and deeply unsettling. Then, in the lake's reflection, the image distorted. The foundation of the city crumbled, replaced by a massive, brutal war machine, a fortress of gleaming blades and roaring flames. A girl's scream ripped through her memory, and Kara collapsed to her knees, clutching her head. The words of the scream became suddenly, terrifyingly clear, as if the black water itself were reaching for her, whispering the desperate plea.

"Aden! Please, help me! Aden!"