Chapter 43 : Walking with the shadow

The moment they stepped through Emberfield’s gates, the exhaustion of the road seemed to weigh twice as heavy. Soldiers and couriers moved in hurried rhythm, banners snapping in the chill evening wind, orders shouted across the square. The air smelled of smoke and steel. War preparation left no corner untouched.
Kael strode forward with sure steps, his new courier cloak brushing his boots. “The infirmary is ready. Bring him.”
Aldah, sweat-soaked and grimy, still carried the half-conscious healer on her back. She made no complaint as she followed Kael across the courtyard. The Ember Couriers fell in behind, wary of the new eyes watching them.
Inside the hospital, the air changed. The sharp tang of herbs, the faint coppery scent of blood, the quiet groans of the wounded—these were familiar to Lara, who immediately moved toward the rows of cots, her healer’s instincts guiding her.
“Over here,” Kael called. A space had been cleared. He turned, motioning to someone behind the curtain.
And then she stepped out.
A girl with pink hair tied back in a braid, eyes like shards of storm-glass. Her presence chilled the air around her. She wore the pale robes of a healer, though her movements carried the predatory precision of someone who had spilled more blood than she had ever mended.
“Arachne,” Kael said simply, his voice unreadable. “My assigned healer.”
The name pierced Ryo like a knife. His jaw tightened, his breath catching. He remembered too well—the chaos of that night, her voice whispering in his ear, her hand raised against him, her crazy eyes.
She bowed politely to the group, though her eyes lingered on Ryo a beat too long. “I’ll take care of him,” she said, already kneeling beside the wounded man Aldah lowered onto the cot.
Ryo’s tongue froze. He said nothing. Even when Aldah threw him a questioning look, even when Lara shifted closer, sensing his discomfort. He couldn’t speak.
Kael’s gaze flicked toward him. But he didn’t explain. Not here, not now.

---
The healer stabilized quickly. The war healer's worked with efficient, almost mechanical grace—bandaging, applying salves, murmuring incantations that sealed wounds with faint silver light. The man’s breathing eased, his color returning. Relief filled the room, yet unease lingered.
That night, the Ember Couriers were given quarters in one of the side wings of Blue wave agency. Ryo remained withdrawn, speaking only when necessary. At supper, when Aldah tried to tease him about being broody, he offered only a forced smile. When Vix nudged him about Kael’s new partner, he muttered something unintelligible and excused himself.
It wasn’t until later, when most had gone to rest, that he found himself pacing the hallway outside Lara’s room. His thoughts churned, refusing to let him sleep. Finally, he knocked.
The door creaked open, revealing Lara in her night-robe, hair unbound. She raised a brow. “Ryo? It’s late.”
“I need to talk.”
Something in his tone made her step aside without question.

---
Inside, the room smelled faintly of chamomile tea. Papers and salve jars cluttered the desk. Lara sat on the edge of her bed, staff leaning against the wall. Ryo remained standing, tense as a bowstring.
“It’s her,” he said at last, voice low.
Lara tilted her head. “Her?”
“Arachne. Kael’s healer. I’ve met her before. She’s not—” he broke off, his fists clenching. “She tried to kill me.”
Lara’s eyes sharpened. “When?”
“Months ago. she is the one who attacked sunwhisper's Manor. I...barely survived.”
The healer studied him silently. “And Kael doesn’t know?”
Ryo shook his head. “Or maybe he does and doesn’t care. Either way, I can’t… I can’t be near her without remembering.”
The silence stretched, broken only by the faint crackle of the lantern flame. Then Lara sighed, reaching for her robe’s collar. “Sit. If we’re speaking of shadows, there’s something you should see.”
Confused, Ryo obeyed. She turned her back to him, lowering the fabric just enough to reveal her shoulder blades.
Ryo froze.
Across her pale skin, the faint constellation of dots he had noticed before—marks that looked like burn scars, aligned like stars—had grown. There was one more now, lower, darker.
“Aldah noticed it when we were taking a bath together,” Lara said quietly. “ I think each time I resurrect someone a dot appeared.”
Ryo’s hand hovered just above the mark, not daring to touch. “Does it still hurt?”
“No. It doesn’t hurt anymore, it doesn’t heal, it just… stays. And spreads.” She turned back to face him, her expression unreadable.
He nodded slowly. The weight in his chest eased, if only slightly. For the first time since seeing Arachne, he felt he could breathe.
---
The next morning, the Ember Couriers were summoned to the command hall. Long banners hung from the rafters, and maps covered the tables where officers conferred in hushed tones.
A captain addressed them curtly: “Your next assignment comes at dawn. The healer you escorted will travel again—this time not alone. With his courier. They are bound for Elandor, East Geneva, and you will ensure they reach it intact.”
Kael stepped forward, jaw set. “That courier is me.”
Beside him, Arachne stood silent, her eyes unreadable.
The captain continued, “You’ll move quickly. The East has grown unstable” His gaze swept over the Ember Couriers. “Failure is not an option.”
Ryo exchanged glances with his companions. Lara gave a small nod of strength, Aldah cracked her knuckles and grinned, Vix only adjusted his shirt with a grunt.
But when Ryo’s gaze landed on Kael—and the shadow of Arachne beside him—his chest tightened.