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Chapter 8 – Shadows at the Gate
The forest broke into rolling hills, and the hills gave way to fields that looked almost too green, too perfect. Beyond them rose the capital.
Sara slowed, her wrists still raw from rope burns. The sight should have made her breathe easier—the colossal stone walls, banners fluttering in the breeze, the promise of safety. Instead, her chest tightened. Walls this high didn't only keep dangers out. They kept secrets in.
"Finally," one of the hunters groaned, adjusting the pack on his shoulders. "I was starting to think the capital was just a story to keep us walking."
Another barked a laugh. "Trust me, those walls are real. And so are the taxes once we step inside."
Sara forced her lips into a smirk, her default shield. "Aw, don't tell me the big bad hunters are scared of paperwork. Should I hold your hand through customs?"
The nearest hunter shot her a glare sharp enough to cut glass. Suspicion had only thickened since the forest incident. Every stumble she made, every glance she exchanged with Kael, felt like a trial she was barely passing.
Kael, walking beside her, tilted his head slightly. His voice was low enough that only she could hear. "You're deflecting again."
She arched a brow. "Deflecting what?"
"Fear," he said simply.
Her smirk faltered before she masked it with an exaggerated eye-roll. "And you're diagnosing me now, Doctor Kael? Should I lie down on the grass so you can take notes?"
He didn't smile. He just kept that unreadable calm, spear balanced across his shoulders as though the world's weight didn't touch him. Somehow, that steadiness unsettled her more than all the hunters' scowls combined.
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The gates loomed closer. Carved runes glowed faintly along the arch, their patterns shifting like water under sunlight. Sara's throat tightened. She didn't need anyone to explain what they were—wards. Detection glyphs. If she walked through them, what would they see?
The head guard stepped forward, chainmail gleaming. "Names, business, and proof of passage." His tone left no room for negotiation.
The hunters obeyed, presenting tokens stamped with the guild's crest. One by one, they passed under the arch. The runes flared briefly, then dimmed. Safe.
When Sara's turn came, her heart hammered. She clenched her fists, nails digging into her palms. The glyphs pulsed brighter, sensing… something.
A murmur rose among the guards.
"Step aside," one ordered.
Kael moved before she could panic. He planted his spear casually into the dirt, tone calm but firm. "She's with me. My apprentice. The forest's corruption rubbed off on her aura, that's all. She's clean."
The guards exchanged skeptical glances. One reached for a charm, muttering an incantation.
And that's when the ground shook.
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The earth split near the gate, dust billowing. A grotesque shape clawed free—chitinous limbs, eyes glowing like embers. A forest beast, twisted by corruption, had followed them all the way here.
Chaos erupted. Civilians screamed, guards drew swords, hunters swore.
Sara didn't think. She moved.
Power surged in her veins, dangerously close to spilling over, but she forced it into her hands, grabbing a fallen blade and slicing through one of the beast's limbs. Its shriek rattled her bones.
Kael was already in motion. His spear flashed like lightning, precise and relentless, striking joints, severing tendons. His calm earlier had become something else now—focused fury, controlled but terrifying in its precision.
For a heartbeat, Sara forgot the danger. She just watched him move.
The beast lunged at her blindside. She barely twisted away, but Kael was there, pulling her behind him with one hand while driving his spear straight into the creature's gaping maw.
The monster convulsed, then collapsed in a heap of twitching limbs. Silence followed, broken only by ragged breathing.
All eyes turned on them.
Not on the hunters who'd barely drawn their weapons, not on the guards who'd scrambled to form a line too late. On them.
Sara's hands shook. She dropped the blade, forcing a laugh. "Well. That was fun. Do you guys always get welcoming parties like this?"
No one laughed.
The guard captain narrowed his eyes. "You… fought like no apprentice I've ever seen." His gaze lingered on her, then slid to Kael. "And you. That technique—where did you learn it?"
Kael didn't flinch. "From the wilds. The forest teaches fast."
The answer was calm, plausible enough to quiet outright accusation. But suspicion lingered like smoke.
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Inside the city, relief never came. The cobbled streets bustled with merchants and children, but Sara felt the weight of stares. Whispers followed them, threads of rumor already weaving.
Kael walked beside her, silent.
Finally, she muttered, "You didn't have to cover for me."
"Yes, I did," he replied without hesitation.
Her breath hitched. Something unspoken passed between them, heavy as the gates they'd walked through.
But before she could respond, she noticed a figure across the crowd. Cloaked, face shadowed, but unmistakably watching her.
When their eyes met, the figure's lips curved into the faintest smile—recognition. Then they vanished into the throng.
Sara's blood ran cold. Whoever that was, they knew her.
And if they knew her… the real danger wasn't behind the walls. It was waiting inside them.
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Author's Note (AN)
Sara survived the gates—but only just. 👀 Kael saved her again, but at what cost? Suspicion is no longer just among the hunters. The entire city might soon be whispering her name.
🧩 Riddle of the Chapter:
The person who makes it, sells it. The person who buys it never uses it. The person who uses it never knows they're using it. What is it?
✨ Teaser for Chapter 9:
A shadow in the capital calls Sara by name. Trust will fracture, choices will cut deeper, and for the first time—Kael's mask might crack.
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