Kael insisted Marin attend the next strategy meeting. Officially, he told her it was because she needed to be more familiar with military affairs. Unofficially, Nyssa could see the truth in the way Kael's eyes followed her every movement — a watchfulness that bordered on protective. He wanted to test her. Marin could sense it too, though she wasn't sure whether that made her nervous or… oddly pleased. She might not have realised it, but he had been quietly observing since the hospital incident, storing away every uncanny moment, each stumble and slip that somehow turned into an unexpected advantage.
The meeting room was a flurry of parchment, ink, and tense voices. Maps sprawled across the table, dotted with markers showing troop movements and supply lines. Marin perched beside Kael, trying to look composed despite feeling like the only non-soldier in the room. She poured herself a small glass of water, careful not to disturb anything. Then Kael reached for a pen.
In trying to pass it to him, Marin's elbow clipped the inkwell. Her stomach dropped in slow motion as the contents arced through the air, catching the light like black rain before splattering across the crisp white sleeve of a young officer. Oh no. Oh no, no, no.
His face stiffened, jaw locking. He hastily tried to brush the ink away, but the motion yanked his sleeve up just enough to reveal a distinct tattoo: a coiled serpent inked in black. Her merchant's eye recognised the mark instantly from whispers of tradehouse dealings — but here? In the war room?
Nyssa's eyes sharpened. "That's not regulation."
Kael's frown deepened, voice like a drawn blade. "Guards."
The officer's gaze snapped to Marin, burning with sudden fury. "You've ruined everything," he snarled, the words spat like venom. He lunged toward her, moving faster than she expected, hand outstretched, fingers curling as if to close around her throat.
Marin's body locked. Why me, her pulse roared in her ears as she stumbled back, searching for an escape that wasn't there. The room seemed to shrink around her. Before his fingers could reach her, a crackling chill swept through the air, sharp enough to raise the hairs along her arms.
In an instant, ice bloomed up his arm, locking his fingers in mid‑snatch. Frost spiderwebbed across his sleeve, climbing to his shoulder. The man cried out, half in pain, half in shock, as Kael stepped between him and Marin, his expression like carved granite.
"Touch her ," Kael said softly, dangerously, "and you'll lose more than the use of your hand."
Her heart hammered. The cold radiating from Kael's magic bit at the air, but it was the look in the officer's eyes a moment before that chilled her more — pure, venomous intent. She swallowed hard, fingers curling into her skirts to keep them from trembling. Kael glanced back at her, his gaze softening just enough to silently say, you're safe.
The officer snarled, struggling, but the cold only deepened. By the time two soldiers seized him, the frost was melting under Kael's control, leaving the man shivering and pale.
Kael angled himself so he stood between Marin and the rest of the room. "Breathe," he murmured for her alone. The warmth of his voice steadied the pounding in her chest.
Papers flew from the spy's coat as he was hauled away, and a murmur rippled through the room. Everyone recognised that tattoo — the coiled serpent sigil of the Veylshade Circle, a ruthless and elusive enemy spy network whispered about in war councils. Their infiltration skills were legendary, their agents masters at slipping into the highest halls unnoticed, but seeing one here, in his war room, turned Kael's stomach to ice. How had one of their operatives bypassed every layer of palace security? Had they been in the palace for days… weeks? The thought made his jaw tighten, his mind already running through names, routines, and potential points of failure. If one had made it in, could there be more? The question gnawed at him even as he kept his face composed.
He would have answers. He would tear apart every layer of the palace if he had to.
When the chaos subsided, Kael dismissed the others with a curt, "With me," his tone leaving no room for argument.
They walked briskly to the field hospital. The air was thick with the scents of blood, smoke, and crushed herbs. Nyssa was rolling up his sleeves, green light shimmering in his palms as he prepared to heal two wounded soldiers.
Kael glanced at Marin. "Your clumsiness," he said quietly, "it's not what it seems. I've been watching. Every time you 'trip' or 'spill something,' the result changes the situation — and my magic reacts when you're near."
Marin blinked. "You think I'm doing it on purpose? I'm just… me."
"Exactly," Kael replied. "And that's why we're going to test something."
He looked to Nyssa. "When she touches you, tell me exactly what you feel."
Nyssa smirked. "Don't worry, Lady Draven. I don't bite. Not without consent."
Marin sighed. "Strange generals. Stranger healers." She placed her hand on Nyssa's shoulder.
The change was instant. Nyssa inhaled sharply as his magic flared brighter and thicker, spilling into both soldiers with ease. Kael's own ice magic sharpened, its reach doubling like frost racing over glass.
Marin felt it too — not just the sight of magic brightening, but the rush of it surging through her like a river suddenly un-dammed. Warmth flooded her fingertips, coiling up her arms and settling like a strange, steady heartbeat in her chest. It was exhilarating and frightening all at once. Is this me? Am I doing this? Her pulse skipped at the thought.
"The healing circle's doubled," Nyssa breathed. "Warmer… fuller. Easier. I've never had this much range without strain."
Her breath caught sharply. In her mind's eye, fine, glowing threads shimmered from her hand to Nyssa, to Kael, and then branched outward into the wounded like a living web. She could almost feel their pain lessening along each line — and it made her want to hold on, to keep feeding it. Every breath drew her deeper into the strange warmth flowing through her, and part of her was afraid of what would happen if she let go. But the connection was vast — too vast — stretching her thin until her limbs grew heavy and her knees trembled. She tried to shift her weight, to take a step back and break the link, but the world tilted abruptly. A wave of dizziness blurred the edges of her vision.
Kael noticed instantly. His voice cut through the hum in her head, low and steady. "Easy. I've got you."
Beneath his calm, his heartbeat was thudding hard — she could feel it where his hand gripped her arm. The sight of her paling, swaying on her feet sparked a flicker of alarm he didn't bother to hide. This wasn't just a test anymore; she looked fragile in a way that made his protective instincts flare. For a brief, unguarded moment, he imagined what could happen if she ever pushed herself this far without him nearby, and the thought lodged cold and unwelcome in his chest.
They finished treating the soldiers, but Marin's vision was fading fast. Her knees gave way before she could warn him, and Kael caught her effortlessly, pulling her against him as though shielding her from the air itself.
Nyssa's voice was awed now. "She's a walking amplifier. She links magic together, magnifying it. You need to research this — I doubt there's another like her. She can strengthen anyone's abilities."
As they left, Nyssa called after him, "If her body adapts, the strain might lessen. Careful testing could build her resilience."
He laid her gently in bed, tucking the blankets close. For a long moment he stood over her, brushing a stray lock from her cheek. His gaze lingered on her sleeping face, memorising the steady rise and fall of her breath. I'll protect you, he vowed silently — from enemies, from the strain of her own gift, even from herself if he had to.