CASSIAN POV
The girl is on fire.
Silver flames dance across her skin, so bright I can barely look at her. The magic pouring from Elara is raw, wild, more powerful than anything I've seen in ten years of hunting Starborn artifacts.
This is what I've been searching for.
This is also going to get us all killed.
"War horns!" Seren shouts over the roar of magic. "The King's army—they're less than a mile away!"
The silver light shooting into the sky is like a beacon. Every soldier in Valdrath can see exactly where we are.
"Elara!" I grab her shoulders. Her skin burns hot enough to hurt, but I don't let go. "You have to stop! Control it!"
"I can't!" Tears stream down her face, evaporating before they fall. "It's too much!"
Her eyes are pure violet now, blazing with power. Her white hair whips around her face like she's standing in a windstorm, though the air is perfectly still.
She's beautiful and terrifying.
And completely out of control.
"Everyone back!" I order my soldiers. "Give her space!"
They scatter, forming a protective circle around us. Maddox lies in the snow, his wound forgotten, staring at Elara like she's a goddess come to life.
"Just like her mother," he whispers. "Pure Starcrown magic."
The horns sound again. Closer.
We have minutes. Maybe less.
I force Elara to look at me. "Listen to my voice. The magic is yours. It came from you. You can pull it back in."
"How?"
"Will it. Command it. You're not a servant anymore—you're a princess. Make it obey."
She closes her eyes, face scrunched with concentration. The flames flicker but don't die.
"It's not working!"
Think, Cassian. Think.
During the Purge, I watched Starborn magic in action. Watched families try to defend themselves against the King's soldiers. Their magic responded to emotion—fear made it explode, calm made it steady.
Elara isn't calm. She's terrified.
I need to give her something else to feel.
"Do you trust me?" I ask quietly.
Her eyes snap open. "What?"
"Do you trust me?"
"I barely know you!"
"Then answer this—have I lied to you yet?"
She hesitates. "No."
"Have I hurt you?"
"No."
"Do you believe I'm trying to keep you alive?"
"Yes, but—"
I kiss her.
It's not romantic. It's strategic, desperate, and completely insane.
But it works.
Elara gasps against my mouth. The silver flames stutter, flicker, and finally sink back into her skin. The light fades. The heat dissipates.
When I pull back, she's staring at me with wide, shocked eyes.
"What was that?" she breathes.
"A distraction. Did it work?"
She looks down at her hands. They're normal again—no fire, no glow. Just skin. "I... yes. The magic is still there, but it's quiet now."
Thank the gods.
"Good. Now run."
I grab her hand and we sprint into the forest. My soldiers follow, moving fast and silent. Behind us, torches appear through the trees.
The King's army has arrived.
"How many?" I ask Seren as she pulls alongside us.
"At least two hundred. Maybe more." She curses. "They must have been marching all night."
Two hundred against thirty. Impossible odds.
Unless...
"Head for the ravine," I order. "The narrow pass."
Seren's eyes light up with understanding. "The bottleneck."
"Exactly."
If we can reach the ravine before they catch us, we can force them to come at us single file. Turn their numbers into a disadvantage.
It's still suicide, but at least we'll take some of them with us.
We run until my lungs burn. Elara keeps pace despite never training for this. Fear gives her speed.
The ravine appears ahead—a deep crack in the earth, spanned by a narrow stone bridge barely wide enough for two people.
"Across!" I shout. "Now!"
We pour across the bridge. On the other side, I turn to face the army.
They emerge from the trees like a dark tide. Soldiers in the King's colors, weapons drawn, faces hard with purpose.
At their head rides a man in ornate armor. Not the King—he wouldn't risk himself. But someone important.
"Commander Blackthorn!" the man calls. "By order of King Aldric, you are declared traitor to the crown! Surrender the girl and you may yet live!"
"I'm not in the habit of trusting Aldric's mercy!" I shout back.
"Then you choose death!"
He raises his sword.
The army surges forward.
"Seren!" I bark. "Charges!"
She's already moving, placing explosive charges at the base of the bridge. My men taught her well.
The first soldiers reach the bridge. Ten of them, running in tight formation.
"Now!" I roar.
Seren lights the fuse.
The world explodes.
Stone and fire and screaming men fill the air. The bridge collapses into the ravine, taking the soldiers with it. A cloud of dust and debris rises like a wall between us and the army.
When it clears, the ravine is impassable. The King's men stand on the other side, furious but trapped.
We bought ourselves time. Hours, maybe a day before they find another way across.
I turn to my soldiers. "Well done. Now we—"
Elara collapses.
I catch her before she hits the ground. Her skin is cold now, clammy with sweat. Her eyes roll back.
"What's wrong with her?" Seren demands.
Maddox struggles over, clutching his wounded shoulder. "The awakening. It takes a toll on the body. She needs rest, food, warmth."
"We don't have time for that," I snap.
"Make time, or she dies. The magic will consume her from within."
I lift Elara into my arms. She weighs almost nothing.
"There's a cave system half a mile north," one of my scouts reports. "We can shelter there."
"Lead the way."
We move quickly through the snow. Elara's breathing is shallow, her heartbeat too fast. I can feel her trembling against my chest.
This is my fault. I pushed her too hard, too fast. Forced her to remove the band before she was ready.
But we didn't have a choice.
The caves appear ahead—dark mouths in the mountainside. My men sweep them for threats while I carry Elara inside.
The largest cave is dry and deep enough to hide our group. Seren starts a small fire while others tend to Maddox's wound.
I lay Elara near the flames, wrapping her in every blanket we have.
Her eyes flutter open. "Did we escape?"
"For now."
"I'm sorry. I couldn't control it."
"You did fine." I brush white hair from her forehead. It's strange seeing her real appearance—she looks both younger and older somehow. "Rest. We'll figure out the magic later."
"Cassian?" Her hand finds mine. "That kiss..."
"Was tactical."
"Oh." Disappointment flickers across her face before she can hide it.
And gods help me, I want to tell her it wasn't just tactical. That feeling her lips against mine did something I didn't expect.
But I can't afford distractions. Can't afford feelings.
She's a weapon. That's all she can be.
"Sleep," I say instead.
She does, exhaustion claiming her.
I post guards at the cave entrance and settle in to wait out the night. Outside, snow begins to fall, covering our tracks.
Maybe we'll survive this after all.
Then Maddox groans from across the cave.
"Commander," he gasps. "The ring. The King's ring. I need to... destroy it... before..."
He doesn't finish.
His body goes rigid.
Then he screams.
Not a normal scream. A sound of pure agony, like his soul is being torn apart.
Black veins spread across his skin, pulsing with dark magic. His eyes turn completely white.
"Get back!" I shout, pulling Elara away.
Maddox rises to his feet, moving like a puppet on strings. When he speaks, his voice is wrong—layered, echoing.
"Hello, Commander Blackthorn."
It's the King's voice.
Coming from Maddox's mouth.
"The ring wasn't just a tracker," King Aldric says through Maddox's body. "It was a doorway. And now I can see everything you see. Hear everything you say."
Horror floods through me.
The King is inside Maddox's mind.
Which means he knows exactly where we are.
Exactly what Elara can do.
Everything.
"Three days, I gave you," the King continues, smiling with Maddox's face. "But I've changed my mind. My army will be there by dawn. And when they arrive, I'll drag that girl back to the palace in chains and drain every drop of magic from her screaming body."
Maddox's body convulses.
"See you soon, Commander."
Then Maddox collapses, truly dea
d this time.
And I realize we're not trapped in these caves.
We're sitting in a tomb.
The King knows everything.
And he's coming.