Chapter 9 – The Double Agent's Mask
The mountains seemed endless, their jagged peaks cutting into the clouds like blades. The group moved cautiously, each step heavy with the tension left by the ambush.
Kiran walked ahead, his eyes burning faintly, fire flickering in his irises. He hadn't slept. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw poison-tipped blades and Miren's too-perfect swordplay.
---
That night, Orin scouted ahead, leaving Kiran and Miren alone by the fire. The flames licked the night sky, and Kiran finally broke the silence.
"Tell me the truth, Miren," he said, voice low but sharp. "Do you walk with me… or against me?"
Miren bristled, anger flashing in his eyes. "You think I'd sell you out to the Syndicate? After everything?"
Kiran leaned closer, the fire reflecting on his face like molten gold. "The assassins knew where we'd be. They knew how to counter me. Someone is whispering to them. And if it isn't Orin…"
Miren's jaw tightened. His hand twitched near his blade. For a moment, Kiran thought the fire would force the truth out of him—
But then Orin returned, breaking the tension.
"We're being followed," Orin said grimly, scanning the shadows. "Not Syndicate soldiers. One man. Skilled."
---
Hours later, the follower revealed himself. A cloaked figure stepped from the trees, hood pulled low.
"I was beginning to think you'd never notice me," the man said with a mocking tone. Slowly, he lifted his hood.
It was Jaden.
Kiran's breath caught. Jaden, his cousin—the brother he never had—stood before him, lips curled in a cruel smile.
"You look surprised, Flameborn," Jaden said. "Did you really think I'd walk in your shadow forever? The Syndicate offered me more than your loyalty ever could."
Miren stiffened. "Jaden… what are you saying?"
But Jaden's eyes never left Kiran's. "I told them your route. I told them your weaknesses. That poison they carry? It's for you, cousin. The Syndicate wants you broken."
---
Kiran's heart pounded like a war drum. The fire inside him surged, begging to be unleashed, but pain gnawed at his chest.
"Why, Jaden?" he asked, voice raw.
Jaden smirked. "Because power isn't meant to be shared. You were born with fire in your veins while the rest of us were left to scrape the dirt. The Syndicate promises me what you never would: the strength to rise above you."
Orin's hand went to his axe. "He's a traitor. Say the word, Kiran."
But Kiran raised his hand, eyes locked on Jaden. "No. His betrayal is mine to answer."
The fire around the camp roared higher, shadows twisting like serpents as cousins faced each other—one burning with fury, the other with envy.
And in the distance, unseen, Syndicate watchers waited for the clash to begin.