Caelan's POV
I grabbed Aria's arm and yanked her backward just as the floor where we'd been standing collapsed into darkness.
Move! I shouted, pulling her toward the stairs.
The entire chamber was falling apart. Stone crumbled. The pedestal holding the Heartstone tilted dangerously. Through our bond, I felt Aria's terror mixing with my own.
We ran up the spiral stairs, the chain between us clanking with every step. Behind us, I heard the grinding sound of the chamber floor giving way completely.
We burst into the main temple hall, both gasping for air.
What was that? Aria's thought came through sharp and panicked. The Oracle said someone's trying to destroy the Heartstone from inside the temple!
Then we find them, I said grimly, drawing my sword. Before they finish the job.
I closed my eyes not that it mattered since I couldn't see anyway and focused all my senses. Listening. Feeling. The temple wasn't empty. Someone else was here, and they were trying very hard to stay hidden.
There. A heartbeat. Slow and controlled, like someone trained in stealth. East corridor, maybe thirty feet away.
This way, I whispered, moving toward the sound.
Aria followed without question, staying close. I felt her drawing magic, ready to cast at a moment's notice. We moved together silently, our coordination already so much better than it had been yesterday.
The heartbeat got louder. Closer. Then I heard breathing quiet, but there.
Show yourself, I called out. I know you're there.
A laugh echoed through the corridor. A woman's laugh, cold and cruel.
Well, well, the voice said. The famous Storm blade. Still alive, I see. And still blind as a newborn puppy.
Every muscle in my body went rigid. I knew that voice.
Through our bond, Aria felt my shock and rage. Who is that?
Lady Morgana, I said, my voice deadly quiet. Marcus's sister.
The woman stepped out of the shadows. I couldn't see her, but I heard her footsteps, smelled her expensive perfume. And I felt Aria's reaction through the bond surprise and recognition.
I know her, Aria thought. She served on the Mage Council. She voted to exile me.
Hello, Aria, Morgana purred. You look... different. Exile hasn't been kind to you.
Aria's fury blazed through our connection, but she stayed silent. She couldn't speak, after all.
Morgana laughed again. Still mute? How tragic. And Caelan, still blind? My brother really did a number on you, didn't he?
What are you doing here? I demanded.
Finishing what we started, Morgana said simply. My brother wants the Heartstone's power. Lyra Silvane wants it too. They're working together now the traitor commander and the false mage. And I'm here to make sure you two don't get in their way.
She moved fast. I heard her casting dark magic crackling in the air. A blast of energy shot toward us.
Aria threw up a shield. Her magic met Morgana's with a thunderous crash that shook the walls. They were evenly matched.
I charged forward, using the sound of Morgana's breathing to track her position. My sword cut through the air where her neck should have been.
She dodged. Barely.
Fast, she said, impressed. But not fast enough.
The fight became chaos. Morgana cast spell after spell fire, ice, lightning. Aria blocked and countered, her silent magic just as powerful. I circled, looking for an opening, listening for the perfect moment to strike.
The chain between Aria and me forced us to stay close, but we'd learned to use it. When Morgana attacked Aria from one side, I was already there, blocking with my sword. When she tried to get behind me, Aria's magic drove her back.
We were fighting as one.
But Morgana was good. Really good. She'd been trained by the best mages in the kingdom, and she knew every dirty trick.
She feinted left, then threw a dagger right at Aria's heart.
I heard it slicing through the air. Moved on pure instinct. Caught Aria around the waist and spun us both out of the way.
The dagger missed by inches.
Touching, Morgana sneered. The blind warrior protecting the mute mage. How romantic. Too bad you're both going to die.
She raised both hands, gathering massive amounts of magic. The air itself seemed to scream with power. This was a killing spell strong enough to level the entire temple.
We can't block that, Aria thought desperately.
We don't have to, I said. We just have to survive it.
I grabbed Aria and ran, pulling her toward the nearest doorway. Morgana's spell exploded behind us, a wave of pure destruction that tore through stone and marble like paper.
We dove through the door and I kicked it shut behind us, throwing every bolt I could find.
The explosion hit the door. It held. Barely.
Aria and I collapsed against the wall, both breathing hard.
That was too close, she thought.
Way too close, I agreed.
Through the door, we heard Morgana's mocking voice. This isn't over! Marcus and Lyra are coming. And when they get here, you'll both wish you'd died tonight!
Her footsteps faded away. She was leaving.
I wanted to chase her, but we were both exhausted. And something told me she wanted us to follow probably into a trap.
Let her go, I said. We need to check on the Heartstone.
We made our way back to the chamber or what was left of it. The floor had stopped collapsing, but huge cracks ran everywhere. The Heartstone sat on its tilted pedestal, glowing weakly.
It's dying faster, Aria thought, her despair washing through me. The attack damaged it.
She was right. The black cracks had spread even more. We had maybe three weeks left. Maybe less.
We need help, I said finally. We can't do this alone.
I know someone, Aria thought. Elira. A healer who left the Mage Council after I was exiled. She believed me when no one else did.
I know someone too. Dante. He was in my regiment. One of the only soldiers who didn't believe Marcus's lies.
Can we trust them?
Can we afford not to? I countered.
Aria was quiet for a moment. Then: We call them tomorrow. If they'll even come.
They'll come, I said with more confidence than I felt.
We did the evening seal on the Heartstone, our hands touching the cracked surface. The blue glow pulsed weakly, like a dying heartbeat.
That night, we sat together in the temple hall, too wired to sleep. The bond between us hummed with shared emotions fear, determination, and something else I couldn't quite name.
Thank you, I said quietly. For fighting beside me tonight.
Thank you for catching me, Aria thought back. When the dagger came. You saved my life.
You've saved mine twice now. I owe you.
We're even, then.
Silence settled over us. Comfortable silence, like we'd known each other for years instead of days.
Through the bond, I felt Aria's exhaustion starting to pull her toward sleep. Without thinking, I shifted closer and put my arm around her shoulders.
She stiffened for just a second. Then she relaxed against me, her head resting on my shoulder.
This is nice, she thought drowsily.
Yeah, I agreed. It is.
I was just starting to doze off myself when I felt it sharp, searing pain in my chest. Not physical. Magical.
Aria felt it too. She jerked awake. What is that?
Then we both understood at the same time.
The Heartstone was calling to us. Screaming at us. Something was terribly wrong.
We ran back to the chamber.
The Heartstone was glowing blood-red now, pulsing like an angry wound. And carved into the wall behind it, written in what looked like black fire, was a message:
THREE DAYS. THEN WE COME FOR YOU BOTH. MARCUS & LYRA
Aria's terror slammed through our bond. Three days? That's not enough time!
We'll make it enough, I said, but even I didn't believe it.
Because beneath the message, someone had left something else. A gift. A threat.
Two black roses. One for each of us.
And tied to each rose was a small card with a name:
Aria Silvane - The Voiceless Traitor
Caelan Ashford - The Blind Failure
Our enemies knew exactly where we were.
And they were coming to finish what they started.