XXIX

ORLAGARD, ARAK KINGDOM

Under Queen Kyreth’s watchful gaze, the Arakian Legion’s mechs stood as silent, motionless sentinels, their sleek metallic hulls shimmering in the torchlight. Deep within the fortress of Orlagard, the Queen stood on a gantry that extended into the cavernous mech bay. With her arms folded across her chest and her features veiled by shadow, she issued orders to her technicians, directing them to scrutinize the cockpits for any hint of electrical malfunction. To the world, she remained the ferocious, unyielding monarch her subjects both admired and feared. Inwardly, however, a knot of panic tightened in her stomach—a persistent dread that some vital component of her grand design was destined to fail.

Ever since dispatching Kael and Haken to Everwood a month prior, she had been plagued by doubt. Placing one of the Sacred Beasts in a position where Princess Calista could endanger him had defied all logic. She had been a fool to acquiesce to Haken’s adamant plea that Kael be given the chance to prove himself in the field.

A second, more personal matter stoked her unease: Haken's burgeoning emotional bond with the Aether Mage. His affection for the Earthling was a palpable force, so potent that Kyreth could feel its cloying sweetness across the vast distance without the aid of her tele-sphere. It was enough to make her gag. Kyreth tore her gaze from her latest creations, the formidable Draconis Invictus and Seraphim Fatale, and sighed at the thought of something as chaotic as love threatening to derail her meticulous plans. She had engineered the twin mechs with absolute faith in the pilots she had chosen for them—pilots whose identities remained a secret even to her, with Haken having disclosed only their unique talents and a few other scant details.

As Kyreth prepared to summon her mechanics for a sunset conference in the throne room, a familiar spiritual presence brushed against her consciousness, resonating through the citadel’s crystalline foundations.

Kyreth closed her eyes, reaching out with her mind and feeling the energy pulse back, eager and distinct. An image formed in her mind’s eye: Kael, in his human guise, standing just inside the main gates as the spectral form of his Dragon faded behind him.

I have returned, Your Highness.

Even as a mere thought, the formality in his mental voice almost made Kyreth chuckle. Without sending a reply, she gathered her skirts and swept toward the main hall. In the brief moment she had connected with his mind, she could sense a profound shift within him. His power, once a raging inferno, had found a new, formidable equilibrium. The Dragon of Might was a power few mortals could ever hope to master, let alone subdue. She wondered how he had managed to achieve such a remarkable feat.

When she entered the hall, Kael did not bow. She didn't expect him to; he had no time for such trivialities. He wasted no time on pleasantries, his voice cutting straight to the heart of the matter. "Has Haken reported to you?"

Kyreth maintained a placid expression, masking the worry that tightened her chest as she shook her head. Kael’s amber eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly, but he offered no comment. Instead, he brushed a lock of white hair, strangely stained with streaks of purple, from his face and gave a curt nod.

"What do you have to report, Kael?" Kyreth pressed. "What is the status of the Fated?"

Kael spread his palms in a gesture of surrender, his expression a mask of conflicting emotions that Kyreth carefully cataloged. "After the Everwood mission," he began, his voice low and even, "Haken used his Lumen magic to seal my powers. I was rendered catatonic for nearly three days, until our party reached Lake Verna. Disagreements arose about the best route forward. After a battle with angered local spirits, we finally reached Ravenhold. I was imprisoned upon arrival and remained in a cell for the last five days." He paused, gathering his thoughts before continuing.

Raising a delicate eyebrow, the Queen, who had witnessed much of this through her tele-sphere, prompted him to continue. "And how did you escape, pray tell, with the Princess herself guarding you so closely?"

A ghost of a smile touched Kael’s lips as he recalled his rescuer. He cleared his throat. "A young girl, Anya, freed me. There is something… intriguing about her."

Kyreth’s eyes widened, a sharp gasp escaping her lips. Kael almost asked if she was unwell before he remembered her own dormant Aether abilities. A realization had struck her—an epiphany. She seized his arm, the gravity of her vision lending her a sudden strength, and pulled him toward the throne room. With a sharp wave, she dismissed the waiting mechanics and hurried to her grand tele-sphere.

With a trembling hand, Kyreth touched the large, crimson orb. It pulsed to life, revealing a hazy image of Ravenhold. The scene sharpened, focusing on Anya, who was gazing into a mirror in her chambers. The girl nodded and grinned at her reflection, but the image in the glass shifted, the charming child replaced for an instant by a colossal, fiery bird. This vision dissolved, supplanted by an image of Princess Calista standing over a complex diagram that mirrored the insignias of both Everwood and Sovereign City. Calista’s face filled the orb, a fearsome, avaricious grin twisting her lips. Then the scene changed once more, revealing Kara standing alone on a hilltop against the last rays of the setting sun. In her growing shadow, both Kyreth and Kael could see the dark, unmistakable silhouette of Lyra. Then, the orb’s light died.

A pit of horror swelled from Kael’s heart and flooded his mind. He had no idea what the visions signified, but the Dragon stirred within him, sensing a profound and imminent danger. Kyreth moved away from the orb to stand before a tall window. Just as the sun vanished completely below the horizon, she spoke, and her words sent a chill down Kael’s spine.

"The time has come. It is the beginning of the end."

THE BANKS OF LAKE VERNA, RAVENHOLD

Lyra and Kiro met at the lakeside as the last crimson light of sunset faded from the sky. They greeted each other with a soft kiss and a warm embrace. With a contented sigh, Lyra rested her head on Kiro’s broad chest. He smiled, wrapping his arms securely around her waist and pressing a kiss to the crown of her head.

"I'm so happy for Reya and Aden," Lyra murmured. "Aren't you?"

Kiro nodded, beginning to sway gently back and forth with her, as if they were dancing to a silent melody. "I suppose they are meant for each other," he said thoughtfully.

Lyra pulled her head back to look up at him, her eyes glinting with amusement. "You suppose?" Her tone was playfully scathing, but the smile on her lips betrayed her. "Hey! I think they're truly in love! It's not as if they were lacking for other options. Sometimes when you love someone, you just have to go for it, Kiro! Honestly, you can be such a cynic."

He raised an eyebrow at the challenge in her voice. As if to prove a point, he swept her off her feet and carried her to the water's edge.

"Just go for it, huh?" Kiro teased, holding a shrieking Lyra out over the dark water. "Perhaps I should 'go for' dropping you in this lake, little miss know-it-all!"

"No! Kiro! Please!" she cried, her pleas punctuated by peals of laughter. Chuckling, he swung her back onto solid ground and set her down, only to launch a surprise tickle attack that sent her into helpless hysterics. Never one to surrender, Lyra twisted in his arms and tickled him back until they both collapsed onto the cool sand, breathless.

Lyra lay on her back to catch her breath, gazing up at the deepening twilight as the first stars began to appear. Kiro watched her, marveling at the intensity in her eyes as she studied the heavens. He softened his voice, careful not to break the spell of the moment. "What are you thinking about?"

She sighed, turning her head to meet his gaze. "Us."

The single word caught the normally assured Sentinel Commander off guard. Fearing the worst, he dared to ask, "Us? What about us?" Despite her easygoing nature, Lyra possessed a serious side that, on rare occasions, could unnerve him.

She rolled onto her side, propping her head on her hand to face him fully. "Well, I don't really know what we are," she said, her voice softer now. "Reya and Aden are a couple, and they're engaged. Everyone knows there's something between Kara and Haken. But us? When we're on the road, just the two of us, everything is perfect. But the moment we're around other people, you pull away. It’s like… like you're ashamed of me, or something. I don't know. It's foolish." She sat up abruptly, turning away to brush the sand from her trousers.

Kiro scrambled to his feet beside her. "No! Lyra, that's not it at all! When have I ever done that?"