The Wilds stretched ahead, endless tangles of root and thorn. Riven moved through them like smoke, barely disturbing a leaf. Kael, limping after her, felt like every snapped twig announced his weakness.
"You step like a priest in a brothel," Riven muttered, not looking back.
Kael scowled. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"That you don't belong here. You're loud, clumsy, and you don't know what to fear."
Kael bristled, quickening his pace to keep up. "I've survived this long."
Riven finally glanced over her shoulder, one brow raised. "Because of that shard beating in your ribs. Without it? You'd have been carrion weeks ago."
The words bit deeper than Kael wanted to admit. He set his jaw, staring at her back. "…And you? What keeps you alive?"
Riven's smirk was sharp, fleeting. "Instinct. Patience. Knowing when to strike and when to vanish. Things you'll have to learn fast, if you don't want to end up like your little friend back there."
Kael froze. "Varic isn't my—"
Her laughter cut him off, low and humorless. "Relax. I saw enough to know he wasn't trying to kill you. Not really."
Kael's blood went cold. "…What do you mean?"
Riven hopped lightly over a fallen trunk, pausing to peer back at him. "He was testing you. Like a wolf nipping at a cub to see if it'll bare its teeth. That kind of attention?" She shook her head. "It never ends well."
Kael said nothing, his chest tight. He hated how much truth lingered in her tone.
After a long silence, he asked quietly, "Why are you really here, Riven? You said you don't like the cult. Fine. But people don't risk their necks for strangers."
Riven tilted her head, watching him like a cat studying a mouse. "Maybe I see a use for you. Maybe I like your face. Maybe I don't want the cult getting their claws on that shard before I do."
Kael stiffened. "…So you admit it."
Riven's grin flashed. "I admit nothing. Just don't get soft, boy. If I wanted it, you'd never wake up from the next campfire."
They walked in silence after that, the air heavy with tension. Every step Kael took beside her felt like walking next to a blade balanced on edge.
And yet—despite the danger—he realized something strange. For the first time since Lyra, he didn't feel completely hollow.
⸻
➡️ Cliffhanger: Kael and Riven form a fragile bond, but her motives are still shrouded. She's mentor, threat, and ally all in one — forcing Kael to stay sharp.