"Leave her be, Thorne," Kael snarled as his wings flared wide in unrestrained power.
Knew him when he was just a roly-poly baby." The cloaked figure—Kael's brother—cocked his head and smiled. "Still watching over weak mortals? How noble of you, brother. "But you were always a pushover when it came to women.
Liora could feel her heart racing in her chest. The stranger's emerald eyes shimmering in the moonlight gave her shivers.
Kael didn't move. "Why are you here, Zev?"
Zev laughed as he dusted off his obsidian plate. Put life in the hands of ravenous monsters, did you think the Council would stoop to soulless constructs? They needed you to be with someone who gets you. Somebody you wouldn't kill without a moment's hesitation."
Kael's jaw clenched. "Don't test that theory."
"I'm not here to fight. Not yet." Zev walked in a slow circle around them, his predatory eyes fixed on them. "I'm here to offer a deal."
Liora's eyes narrowed. "A deal?"
He stopped in front of her. "Give up the bond. Come with me. The Council can remove it in ways — painless ways. You'll be free. And Kael," he looked at his brother, "suspect and untouched.
Kael barked a bitter laugh. "That's a lie. They will kill her the instant they have her."
Zev raised a brow. "Of course they will. "But at least it's going to be fast."
Liora stepped closer to Kael. "I'd rather take my chances with him than be a pawn for you.
There was a flicker of something unreadable in Zev's eyes. "So be it."
Suddenly he blurred and was gone.
Kael whirled, just managing to parry Zev's next blow. Steel against shadow, in a thunderous clatter. Little sparks cried out as they collided, their swords flickering in the moonlight.
Liora stumbled back, eyes widening as the brothers clashed, all in a blur—each strike stronger than the last.
Zev kicked his legs out from under Kael and sent him flying into the half-broken shrine.
Kael spat blood but jumped up immediately, eyes filled with rage. "Zev, you never were stronger than me. Only more treacherous."
Zev's smirk turned feral. "Maybe. But treachery gets results."
He leaped again, this time for Liora.
Kael bellowed and brought up a shield of shadows, sending Zev skidding off to the side.
"Lay another hand on her," Kael ground out through clenched teeth, "and I promise you, I 'll rip your soul from your body."
Zev rose and refastened his broken gauntlet. "Then shield her… if you are able. And away he rode in the cold night wind.
Liora rushed to Kael's side. "Are you alright?"
Kael grunted, blood gushing from his lip. "He's quicker than I recall."
She touched his arm. "He'll be back."
"I know." He looked into the distance. "We can no longer take a rest. The Oracle must be warned."
Two Days Later – On the Edge of the Skyfire Wastes
Across the landscape, the trees turned into cracked stone and drifting sand. Heat radiated from the earth. The wind bore whispers of ancient magic.
"We're close," Kael murmured.
Liora shaded her eyes, staring at a pillar of light in the distance. "That?"
He nodded. "The Heartspire. The Oracle is divinely located at the summit.'
A curious pressure exploded around them as they walked.
"Do you feel that?" "Up here?" Liora said, tapping her chest.
Kael nodded. "This is a place that tries those who come in. Shame, doubt, second thoughts—if you bear them, the Wastes will find out."
Liora frowned. "Great. I have all three."
He glanced at her, amused. "Then stay close."
There was a violent shaking of the earth.
"Please let that be only heatwaves," she muttered.
Kael twisted and looked across the sands. "No. Something's coming."
Out of the sands emerged its own kind, a being made of glass and flame. It hissed as flames lapped at the clear joints.
Flame warden," Kael said, moving in. "Guardians of the Oracle's path."
The beast roared and charged.
Which Kael blocked with two blades of shadow sprung into his hands. The two crashed to gather in a shock wave of sand.
Liora stayed back, heart beating fast. The thing was swift, speedy, attacking with flaming limbs and slicing talons.
Kael sidestepped and hacked, but it reformed every blow.
"It's not dying!" Liora shouted.
"It's not meant to!" he yelled back. "It's testing us!"
Liora gritted her teeth. "Then I ought to be tested also."
She dashed forward, avoiding another fire blast, and held up her shining hand.
The flame warden paused. Its head cocked as if… acknowledging her.
Then it bowed — and disappeared into fire and mist.
Kael blinked. "You… passed?"
"I didn't do anything."
"You wield something the Wastes fears." He looked thoughtful. "Maybe more than just my bond."
They pushed forward.
---
The Heartspire – That Night
The spire towered above them, wrought of light-imbued stone and scriptured with runes that throbbed with ancient power.
Liora for breath as they ascended the never-ending spiral staircase along the outer wall. "What I want to know is… why never had ancient beings built elevators."
Kael chuckled. "It's fun for immortals to watch mortals squirm."
"Charming."
And at the very top there was one door — no handles, no keyholes. Just a symbol.
A star wrapped in chains.
"It is the Mark of Binding," said Kael. "Only one of us can open it."
At Liora's mouth, something was already wrong with what he said, but before she could ask what he meant, the mark on her wrist throbbed.
The door glowed and clicked open.
Within, a vast chamber opened before me, illuminated with blue fire and hovering glyphs. It featured a figure in silver and white robes. She wore a veil over her face.
"You would cut the soul-thread," the Oracle spoke over her shoulder.
Kael bowed his head. "Yes."
"And you think you're strong enough to bear the consequences?"
Liora stepped forward. "What consequences?"
The Oracle finally turned. Her eyes were burning pools of old stars. "If your bond is severed, … then he will lose what's left of his humanity. And you… will bear his curse."
Kael looked at Liora sharply. "What curse?"
The Oracle approached them, her feet make no sound upon the stone. "The Night Sovereign's rage. His memories. His pain. You'll be the receptacle for what he loses."
Liora paled. "So if we sever the bond—"
"You two will be left behind," the Oracle concluded. "But if you don't … then the Council will be coming for you. And one of you will die."
Kael clenched his fists. "Is there no third path?"
The Oracle studied them. "There may be. But it is not with me… but with the Lost Flame."
Kael stiffened. "That legend—"
"Is real," she said. "And she is awakening."
Liora glanced between them. "Who is the Lost Flame?"
The Oracle's voice lowered. "The final man to bind a loaded upfalling star… and survive. It's said that she held the power to unravel fate."
Kael's expression darkened. "But she disappeared centuries before that."
The Oracle nodded. "Until now. The flame stirs again."
Liora felt a chill. "So what do we do?"
The Oracle stretched out her hand, and gifted a glowing map into Kael's hand. "Locate her before the Council does.
Then her gaze slid to Liora. "And you… beware your heart. It will be your saving — or your undoing."
---
Hours Later – And we are off.
Kael was silent as they drove across the broken plains under the stars.
'Yes she did,' Liora said at last, 'when she said the Lost Flame, you weren't surprised.'
"I'm not," he replied. "I once knew her. She wasn't a myth to me."
Liora turned to him. "Was she your…?"
Kael didn't answer.
The silence ripened like a blade between them.
All at once a sheet of green flame struck the ground before them, splitting their way.
Zev stepped out of the darkness, eyes flaring.
"Enough running."
Kael shoved Liora behind him. "We're not afraid of you."
"You should be." Zev held up a hand, displaying a vial filled with a churning black substance.
Kael's eyes widened. "No. That's—"
"The Unshaping One," Zev said with a smile. "One drop can sever any bond. Even yours."
He threw the vial at them.
Kael lunged—
But Liora snatched it up.
Her fingers brushed against the glass, and the vial sparked and exploded in a flash of light—
—and Liora vanished.