The rain had stopped by dawn, but the village still reeked of smoke and death. Aria hadn't slept. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw Kael's burning gaze, the prisoner's mocking smile, and the shadows of betrayal twisting around her.
The Council. Could it really be true?
When the sun finally broke through the clouds, weak and pale, Lucien summoned her. He stood at the edge of the ruins, his cloak pulled tight against the chill. His crimson eyes glimmered faintly in the light.
"We can't ignore this," he said. "If there's even a chance the Council struck a deal with Kael, we need proof."
Aria crossed her arms, her voice sharper than she intended. "And what if it's true? What then? What if everything we've fought for has been a lie?"
Lucien's jaw tightened. "Then we decide who we fight for—not them."
The words settled heavily between them. Aria studied his face, looking for cracks in his composure, but all she found was steel.
"How do we find proof?" she asked.
His gaze swept toward the mountains, where dark spires rose like claws against the sky. "There's an outpost two days' ride from here. A messenger hub. If the Council has been sending word to Kael, their records will be there."
Aria's stomach knotted. A spy's den, right under their noses. "And you want us to break in."
Lucien's lips curved in a humorless smile. "You catch on quickly."
---
The Journey
They set out before noon, traveling light. No banners, no escorts—just the two of them, slipping through the forests like shadows. The world was eerily quiet after the chaos of the battle. Birds dared not sing in the charred woods, and even the wind seemed to whisper warnings.
Aria's senses were sharper than ever. Every twig crack, every shift of leaves made her tense. She could feel Lucien watching her too, though he said little. Silence was their ally now.
As night fell, they camped in a hollow beneath the roots of an ancient tree. The fire was small, barely more than embers, just enough to warm their hands.
Lucien broke the silence. "Back there—when Kael looked at you—it wasn't just hatred. There was something else. You knew him."
Aria stiffened. She hadn't wanted to talk about Kael, not now. Not ever. But Lucien's gaze was relentless.
"He was my mate," she admitted finally, the words bitter on her tongue. "Before… everything."
Lucien's expression flickered—surprise, then understanding, then something unreadable. "That explains the way he fights you. It's personal."
"It's more than that," Aria whispered. "I can still feel him. The bond. Even when I wish I couldn't."
Silence stretched, thick and heavy. Lucien didn't press further, and for that, she was grateful. But she saw the way his jaw tightened, the way his hand flexed near his blade.
---
The Outpost
They reached the outpost by the second night. It was hidden in the cliffs, carved into the mountain itself. From a distance, it looked abandoned—a forgotten ruin—but closer inspection revealed guards patrolling with silver-tipped spears.
Aria crouched beside Lucien in the underbrush, her heart pounding. "There's too many."
"There's always too many," he replied calmly. "That's why we move like ghosts."
They waited until the moon slipped behind clouds, plunging the mountains into shadow. Then they moved.
Lucien was silent as death, slipping past the guards with inhuman grace. Aria followed, her senses straining. Every nerve screamed for her to ignite, to burn the darkness away, but she forced the fire down. One spark and they'd be exposed.
Inside, the outpost was a labyrinth of stone halls and iron doors. Torches flickered weakly, casting jagged shadows. They moved quickly, avoiding patrols, until they reached the archive chamber.
Lucien picked the lock with practiced ease, and they slipped inside.
Rows of scrolls and ledgers lined the shelves, the air thick with dust and ink. Aria's pulse raced as she scanned the shelves. Somewhere in here lies the truth.
Lucien pulled a stack of ledgers onto the table, flipping through with precision. "Look for communications marked with the High Council seal. Anything sent beyond our borders."
Aria's hands shook as she searched. Minutes stretched into eternity, the silence broken only by the rustle of parchment.
Then she froze.
Her fingers brushed over a scroll sealed with crimson wax, the imprint unmistakable—the High Council's sigil. She broke it open with trembling hands and read.
Her breath caught. The words blurred, but the meaning was clear:
A treaty of alliance. Signed by the Council. With Kael.
Her vision swam. They had betrayed them. Everything was true.
Lucien's eyes met hers as she handed him the scroll. His face darkened with fury, his fangs glinting in the torchlight. "Those bastards."
Before they could react further, a shout echoed down the hall.
"INTRUDERS!"
The chamber doors slammed open, guards flooding in.
Aria's fire roared to life, flames leaping from her palms. Lucien drew his blade, his eyes glowing crimson.
So much for silence.
---
Escape
The chamber erupted in chaos. Aria hurled fire across the room, flames curling around the scrolls without burning them. Guards shrieked as the fire seared their weapons. Lucien moved like a phantom, his blade cutting down any who got too close.
"Go!" he barked. "Take the treaty and run!"
But Aria didn't move. She couldn't leave him—not here, not now. Together, they carved their way through the outpost, flames and steel painting the walls with death.
When they finally burst into the night air, the sky was alive with firelight. Alarms blared, horns echoing through the mountains.
They fled into the forest, hearts pounding, the stolen treaty clutched tightly in Aria's hands.
Only when the sounds of pursuit faded did they stop, collapsing against the trees.
Lucien looked at her, his chest heaving, eyes blazing with fury and something else. "Now we have proof. The Council betrayed us."
Aria stared at the treaty, her fire burning hotter than ever. The lies, the games, the blood—it all came back to this.
"No more running," she whispered. "If they want war… we'll give them hell."
---