The assassins closed the circle around them, their cloaks blending with the shadowed trees. Twelve figures, all wearing silver rings that caught faint glints of sunlight. Bows drawn, daggers ready.
Rory gripped her side where the scar still burned, her breath shallow.
Romeus raised his sword, scales rippling faintly across his knuckles from the earlier fight. Lila stood between them, her small frame tense but steady.
"You cannot fight them all," Lila said, her voice low and clear. She raised one hand, fingers tracing quick patterns in the air. Green light flared from her palm, sharp and blinding.
The nearest assassins staggered back, covering their eyes. Vines burst from the ground in a tangled mass, wrapping around legs and arms, pinning the attackers in place.
"Run," Lila snapped. She grabbed Rory's good arm and pulled. Romeus slashed free a path through the writhing vines and followed.
They crashed through the underbrush, branches snapping underfoot. The sounds of struggling assassins faded behind them. Lila led them to a narrow ravine, then pressed her hand against a moss-covered rock.
The stone slid open, revealing a cramped cave hidden behind a curtain of hanging roots. They stumbled inside, and the entrance sealed shut with a grind of stone.
Rory dropped to her knees, her burned hand throbbing and the fresh scar pulling tight. Romeus leaned against the wall, sword still in hand, breathing hard. The cave smelled of earth and dry leaves. A single crystal lantern hung from the ceiling, glowing with a soft green light.
Lila crouched near the entrance, listening for pursuit. After a long silence, she turned to them. "They will dig their way out eventually. But for now, we have time."
"Who are you?" Romeus asked. His voice came out rough, edged with distrust.
"My name is Lila. I study things others consider lost or forbidden." She pulled back her hood fully, revealing the delicate, translucent wings folded against her back. They shimmered like wet glass. "I have tracked the Thornbound for years. They want what you carry."
Rory touched the pocket where the Starheart fragment rested. It felt warm against her hip. "What do they want with it?"
Lila sat cross-legged on the rough floor and fixed them with a steady look. "The Starheart is not just a gem. It is five fragments of a much larger power. Long ago, the Starheart held Erebos prisoner. Erebos is a force of ruin. It grows stronger on hatred and bloodshed."
Romeus lowered his sword but did not sheathe it. "The feud between Sylvana and Draconis."
Lila nodded. "Exactly. The Thornbound created the feud three hundred years ago. They spread lies about the Starheart's theft to start the fighting. Every death, every betrayal, every fresh grudge has fed Erebos. The more the houses hate each other, the weaker the prison holding him becomes."
Rory's stomach turned. The fragment in her pocket suddenly felt heavier, like it carried the weight of all that blood. "They want to break him out."
"Yes." Lila's voice stayed even, but her eyes were hard. "The Thornbound believe that if they gather all five fragments and reassemble the Starheart, they can release Erebos. He will reward them with power. They call it awakening the true order. To everyone else, it means endless war."
Romeus ran a hand through his sweat-damp hair. "Why tell us this? What do you want?"
"I want the fragments kept apart. And destroyed, if it can be done." Lila met his gaze without flinching. "The Thornbound are close. They already hold one fragment. If they collect the rest, Erebos breaks free. No house, no kingdom, survives that."
Rory shifted, wincing as pain shot through her side. "There are five fragments. We have one. They have one. That leaves three."
Lila nodded. "They are scattered. Some in vaults, some in ruins guarded by old magic. The Thornbound know where they are. They will kill to get them."
Romeus looked at Rory, his expression tight. "And if we do nothing?"
"Then the feud continues until it consumes everything," Lila said. "Erebos does not need to be fully free to destroy you. He feeds on the hatred already."
Rory rubbed her scarred hand. The pain reminded her of the fragment's bite, the voice that had called her unworthy. "That thing in the vault spoke to me. It hurt me."
Lila's eyes sharpened. "The fragments resist those who are not chosen by the Thornbound. Anyone who claims one without their ritual takes a mark. It weakens you over time."
Romeus frowned. "Chosen?"
"They believe Erebos selects his servants." Lila's tone carried no belief in the idea. "The mark is real enough. It spreads and kills you unless you join them."
Silence fell in the cramped cave. Rory thought of the dagger in her side, the vines that had nearly crushed her, the arrow meant for her father. All of it tied to this cult and their broken gem. The feud she had stumbled into was not some ancient grudge. It was a trap, set and maintained to feed a prisoner.
"What now?" she asked.
"Now you decide whether to run or fight," Lila said. "If you fight, you need to find the fragments before the Thornbound do. Keep them out of their hands."
Romeus sheathed his sword at last. "Running does not stop the bounties on our heads. Or the assassins."
Before Rory could respond, the cave trembled. Dust sifted from the ceiling. Muffled shouts came through the sealed stone, followed by the scrape of metal against rock.
"They are breaking through," Lila said. She stood and moved to the back of the cave, where a narrow crack in the wall led to a hidden passage.
Rory pushed herself to her feet, hand pressed to her side. Romeus took her other arm, steadying her. They followed Lila into the tight passage, the sounds of splitting stone growing louder behind them.
The tunnel opened into a small hollow surrounded by jagged boulders. They were deep in the forest now, hidden from the main paths. Lila stopped and held up a hand. Rory listened. Beyond the boulders, the steady tramp of boots filled the air. Horses snorted, and metal clinked.
Lila peered through a gap in the rocks. Her face went tight. "Too many to fight."
Rory eased forward and looked for herself. Her breath caught. At least fifty figures marched in formation, black cloaks over mixed armor. Silver rings flashed on every hand. Banners bearing the thorned circle hung from poles carried at the front. Calen rode at the head of the column, his gold-trimmed cloak stark against the dark ranks. His eyes swept the trees like a hunter searching for prey.
"He brought an army," Romeus said quietly.
Calen raised a hand, and the column halted. His voice carried clearly through the trees. "Come out, Lady Juliette. You hold what belongs to me. Give me the fragment, and you can walk away."
Rory's hand tightened over the pocket where the fragment sat. The stone pulsed once, warm and heavy. Calen's gaze locked on their hiding place as if he could sense it.