Rain fell over Astra like ash from a dying fire. The bells had not stopped ringing since dawn.Black banners hung from every tower of the academy, swaying violently in the cold wind while thousands gathered beneath the stone steps leading to the Hall of Mages. Servants moved silently through the crowd with lowered heads, relighting candles that refused to stay lit beneath the storm.At the center of the courtyard stood a massive pyre.Pelson’s body rested atop it wrapped in silver ceremonial cloth, the crest of Astra stitched across his chest in gold thread. The once feared Grand Mage Supreme looked smaller somehow.Dead.No one spoke above a whisper. Not after what happened.The cracked courtyard still carried scars from the battle. Entire sections of stone had been destroyed and several towers remained blackened from dragonfire-like flames no mage had been able to extinguish completely.People stared at the damage with unease and fear. The Flame Boy. The Devil of Astra. The name ha

The forest seemed awfully quiet after Lafey stepped out of it.Even the wind seemed to hesitate, caught somewhere between moving forward and turning back. His boots pressed into damp earth with deliberate weight, as though he wanted the ground to remember him. Silver hair tied loosely behind his head moved as he tilted his head, studying Kael with an expression that was almost amused.“Well,” Lafey said again, voice calmer this time, “you’re even easier to find than the posters said.”Kael didn’t answer.His body had already reacted before his thoughts caught up, shoulders tensing, feet moving slightly backward toward Lyra. The stranger’s blade rested lazily across his shoulder, but Kael didn’t miss the way his grip never loosened on the hilt.Lyra stepped forward first. “Move,” she said flatly.Lafey glanced at her like she was something mildly inconvenient. “And you are?”“That doesn’t matter.”A faint smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. “It usually does right before people di

Kael sat very still.The shadow in the far corner of the cage did not move again, but he knew for a fact that he'd seen it earlier. Even the ten guards outside seemed unaware of it. They seemed occupied with other discussions, their voices drifting through the wooden walls.But Kael didn’t look away. His eyes stayed locked on the dark shape between the straw and iron, his body tensed as he tried to make as little noise as possible. Someone in the inn screamed on the ground floor. The sound of metal breaking wood and a sudden crash of footsteps thundered up through the floorboards.One of the guards outside the cage frowned. “What is that noise?”Another shrugged. “Drunk men fighting again.”But the first guard didn’t sound convinced. “Doesn’t sound like drunken men.”Kael barely heard them, his eyes fixed on the shadow that has now stopped moving and pulled a stop as a human would to sudden noise. His eyes narrowed slightly as his heart thundered, could that be a person? An animal

Kael groaned for the hundredth time that evening. By midday, the open fields had disappeared entirely behind them, replaced by towering trees that stretched endlessly toward the heavens. Their branches twisted together high above like clawed fingers, swallowing most of the sunlight and casting the forest beneath into a green shadow.The horses moved along the uneven trail, their hooves crunching softly over roots and damp leaves.Kael hated every second of it.“This saddle was designed by demons,” he muttered for what was likely the twentieth time that day.Lyra did not even glance back at him. “You sure have a lot to complain about.”“I am not complaining.” He said rather quickly, “I wanted to ask if we can settle in a spit for some time and...” “No.” Kael wanted to whine, “My legs have stopped belonging to me.”They'd been at this for two days straight, no rest. Kael was a tad bit closer to losing his damned mind at this rate. “You still speak. That means you are alive.”Kael s

The forest was in full celebration mode by moonrise. Silver lanterns hung from twisting branches overhead while glowing flowers bloomed along every wooden bridge in the village. Drums echoed endlessly through the trees and golden dust drifted through the air like floating fireflies.The tree nymphs moved everywhere at once. Some carried bowls of glowing nectar, others braided vines together into enormous arches near the center platform where the ceremony would take place.Music filled the forest now and lord was it enticing. If it hadn't been Lyra's forced wedding, Kael might have just enjoyed this ceremony a bit more. He gripped the bars of his cage tightly as he watched them prepare. He hated how peaceful it all looked.A pair of nymph guards stood nearby speaking softly in their strange language while several others sharpened spears beside the roots below. There were too many guards now, too many eyes and too many damn trees.Kael exhaled slowly and rested his forehead briefly ag