The battlefield swallowed him whole.
I took a step back, afraid my breath might escape.
Thorson was easier. He always was. Twenty one reckless in the way only confidence permits. When he saw me, he grinned and draped an arm over my shoulder, as if nothing in this world could ever touch us.
I caught his wrist, just for a moment.
Chaos.
The screams of horses. Steel crashing too close, too loud. Thorson shouted whether command or challenge, I couldn't tell and charged ahead of the unit. In that instant, an arrow pierced his throat. He fell backward mid-step, landing on trampled grass, eyes wide, surprise frozen in place.
The same battlefield.
The same burning sky.
I forced myself to let go.
Liam stood apart from the others at the edge of the courtyard, watching the soldiers train. At twenty, he still hadn't learned how to hide what he felt. He recognized me at his side and smiled.
I brushed his arm.
The ground shook.
Liam was crawling over shattered stone. One leg was crushed beneath rubble; blood streamed down his palm. The battle had already passed him by too fast, too loud. He screamed once.
There was no answer.
The explosion came without warning.
After that, silence.
I tore myself away, breathing hard. My heart was racing, and the taste of smoke still lingered in my mouth.
Three brothers.
Three deaths.
All on the battlefield.
Different moments.
Different mistakes.
The same war.
I turned back to them again, speaking, laughing, existing as if I hadn't just watched them die.
They were alive.
They were laughing.
Now look at them not a care in the world
Arguing again.
Their voices overlapped, tempers sharp. Each believed that with strength, or loyalty, or sheer will, they could endure whatever future came.
And all of them.
believing they would survive.
would walk straight into that future.
I left before they noticed my hands trembling.
Great. One step forward, ten steps back. Now what?
This wasn't coincidence.
It wasn't bad timing.
It wasn't something words could undo.
The war was coming.
No matter what I changed.
No matter how carefully I tried to avoid it.
The battlefield was waiting.
When I entered my old room, it felt unfamiliar like a place borrowed briefly, not somewhere I lived. I stood there for a long while, staring at the bed, the desk, the quiet walls, as though waiting for them to tell me something I already knew.
Feels like forever since I was here.
I changed into the plainest dress I owned. My hands were clumsy. I draped the cloak over my shoulders and fastened it tightly. The pressure just a little helped.
I had to go out.
I had to find more information.
Staying still was unbearable.
The city swallowed me easily. Narrow streets, close walls, lamplight bleeding into shadow. I lowered my head and adjusted my stride.
About halfway down an alley, the air changed.
A subtle pressure at the back of my neck.
A gaze where there should have been none.
I slowed, but I didn't stop.
A shadow peeled itself from the wall ahead.
My breath caught.
Landon.
No. Please not him. Not now.
The alley was too narrow to turn without drawing attention, too quiet. The city's noise felt distant, blocked by stone and tension.
"So you were here," he said lightly, as if this were a meeting long agreed upon.
I formed a small smile and dipped my head.
"I didn't realize you were nearby."
"You shouldn't be wandering alone," he said, stepping closer. "There are rumors."
"I was being careful," I said softly. "I was on my way back to the castle."
His gaze swept over me sharp, searching, as if cataloging changes.
"You've changed."
"I haven't."
The blow came without warning.
Fast. Precise.
The sound echoed low against the stone walls.
My head snapped to the side, heat flaring across my cheek. My vision blurred, but I didn't fall.
Not this time.
Stay calm.
I drew in a single breath, lowered my eyes, then looked back up.
"I'm sorry," I said quietly. "I didn't mean to upset you."
The tension left his posture. Control restored.
He stepped closer, invading my space, lowering his voice.
"You're mine."
I nodded.
"I know."
"Claude can't touch what's mine," he said. "Not emotionally. Not in any way."
"I understand," I replied evenly. "I won't forget."
That seemed to satisfy him.
He straightened and adjusted his sleeve, as though nothing had happened as though this alley hadn't just swallowed something ugly.
"Good," he said. "Go home."
And then he melted back into the shadows and disappeared.
I stood there for a while, breathing evenly, a faint smile still fixed on my face.
Only after his footsteps vanished completely did my hand rise to my cheek.
That was when my knees gave out.
I slid down the wall and clamped a hand over my mouth. The pain in my face throbbed, but it was nothing compared to the sudden collapse in my chest.
Tears spilled out.
Messy.
Shaking.
Impossible to stop.
Because now, I couldn't understand anymore.
The future had always been clear. Cruel, but clear. Red skies. Fire. Death's path, traceable if I focused.
Knowing was control.
But now?
The red sky was still there.
Landon was still there.
And everything was wrong.
I looked up at a thin strip of blue sky visible between the buildings.
Peaceful.
Painfully ordinary.