Heir Of The Fallen Flame

Chapter 12: Lafey

The road east disappeared beneath fog by dawn.

Kael kept his head lowered as he followed Lyra through the crowded lower district beneath Zen’s mountain academy. The dark cloak hanging over his shoulders scratched against his neck and the hood shadowed most of his face, and a black mask covered his nose down to his mouth but it still wasn’t enough to calm the unease twisting inside him.

The city beneath the mountains was already awake despite the early hour. Merchants dragged open wooden stalls while smoke rose from shops and lanterns flickered weakly against the pale morning mist.

Kael noticed the way conversations kept dropping into whispers around them. People watching in sheer wonder of who they might be.

A sharp wind swept through the street, rustling parchment nailed to a nearby wall. Kael’s steps slowed slightly when he saw it.

His face stared back at him.

WANTED FOR THE MURDER OF THE SUPREME MAGE.

The rough charcoal sketch wasn’t perfect, but it was close enough. Beneath it sat the council’s seal pressed into red wax and a reward large enough to tempt almost anyone desperate for coin.

Kael looked away immediately.

“Keep walking,” Lyra said quietly.

Kael pulled his hood lower. “Zen was right. They wasted no time.”

“They’re afraid,” Lyra replied.

“That doesn’t look like fear.” His jaw tightened. It was clear Ronan wanted to hunt him down and blame him in one way or another for his fathers demise.

The eastern gate came into view ahead; massive stone doors built into the mountainside where traders, travelers, and mercenaries gathered beneath armed guards checking wagons before allowing passage beyond the valley.

Kael gripped his hood closer to shield his face. Lyra slowed beside him, eyes scanning the area carefully.

“Stay close to me.”

The guards were searching faces. One of them held a rolled parchment in hand.

Kael’s heartbeat quickened.

“Next!” a guard barked.

A merchant pushed his cart forward nervously while another guard compared his face to the sketch. Kael turned away without thinking.

“…black hair,” one guard muttered. “The witness said the boy had black hair.”

Kael froze. The second guard glanced toward the crowd lazily.

“Most boys have black hair.”

“Still. Orders are orders.”

Lyra grabbed Kael’s wrist before he could panic. “This way.”

She pulled him sharply toward a narrow alley between two stone buildings just as another group of armored riders entered through the gates above.

They were council mages with silver cloaks.Kael’s stomach dropped.

The alley smelled of rainwater and damp wood. Lyra shoved him behind stacked crates just as voices echoed closer.

“Search everyone leaving the valley.”

Kael pressed himself against the wall, breathing shallowly as boots approached. One pair stopped directly outside the alley entrance.

“You there,” a voice snapped.

Kael’s pulse thundered.

A vegetable merchant stammered nervously somewhere nearby. “I..I already showed you my papers…”

“We’re searching again.”

Lyra crouched beside Kael silently, one hand resting on the dagger beneath her cloak. Her expression remained calm, but Kael noticed the tension in her shoulders.

The footsteps moved closer and Kael could hear armor shifting now. Another few steps and they would see them.

The air suddenly felt warm. A faint flicker of gold flashed across Kael’s fingertips before disappearing again.

Kael clenched his hands hard. The warmth beneath his skin pulsed again like something alive reacting to danger.

‘Not now. Please not now.’

The footsteps stopped.

“Nothing here,” the guard muttered outside and the boots moved away.

Kael released a shaky breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding.

Lyra kept listening another few seconds before finally standing.

“We need to move faster.”

Kael rose slowly. “I almost…”

“I know.”

His eyes dropped toward his hands again. That power responded too easily now. It was almost like it could feel every of his emotions and was more than willing to use it as an excuse to show itself again.

Lyra stepped toward the alley entrance carefully before glancing back at him.

“You can control it.”

Kael gave a humorless laugh. “That’s becoming less believable every day.”

“You stopped yourself just now.”

Barely. Outside, the sound of horses echoed through the streets again.

Lyra cursed softly beneath her breath. “Come on.”

They slipped deeper into the lower district, avoiding the main roads entirely now. The city slowly gave way to rougher paths carved into the mountainside where fewer travelers walked.

By midday, the valley had disappeared behind them and the horses were exactly where Zen had promised they'd be.

The eastern wilderness stretched endlessly ahead. Massive trees towered over the narrow trail, their branches so thick they blocked most of the sunlight above. Strange symbols were carved into some of the trunks; ancient runes Kael didn’t recognize.

The deeper they traveled, the quieter the world became. Even the wind sounded different here.

Kael adjusted the pack Zen had given him over his shoulder.

“How far are these woods?”

“Two days if we avoid the roads.”

“And if we don’t?”

Lyra glanced at him briefly. “One day.”

Kael nodded. Using the main road was bound to make him a target. Hell, he'll take the two day trip anytime as long as his head remains on his neck.

“This is safer.”

Lyra chuckled. “Certainly. Very very safe.”

Kael glanced at her. “It's not?” He asked, taking another look around him. “Why?”

A distant howl echoed somewhere through the forest. Kael stopped walking immediately.

“That,” Lyra said calmly, “is why.”

Kael stared into the trees uneasily. “What was that?”

“I’d rather not find out.”

They continued moving. Hours passed before either of them spoke again. Kael’s thoughts kept drifting back to Astra.

And back to Ronan’s face; the hatred in his eyes had been unmistakable and it was sure to haunt his dreams for as long as he could recall.

Kael swallowed hard.

“Do you think Ronan really believes I killed his father?”

Lyra was quiet for a moment.

“Yes.”

Kael looked down. “Even though he saw what happened?”

She said nothing. Even she, his former fiancee, could barely understand how Ronan’s mind worked.

“He already hated me before this.”

Lyra didn’t deny it. Branches cracked softly beneath their boots as the forest thickened around them. The air smelled of moss and rain now.

Kael frowned suddenly. “You said the Tyrant was blood-bound.”

Lyra nodded once.

“And Zen knew what that meant immediately.”

“He’s old,” she offered.

“That’s not an answer.”

Lyra sighed softly. “Blood-binding is forbidden magic.”

Kael looked toward her.

“It ties creatures to a command using blood runes,” she explained. “Most mages can’t perform it.”

“But someone did.”

“Yes.”

Kael’s expression darkened slightly. “Zen sounded afraid of whoever summoned it.”

For the first time since leaving the city, Lyra looked uncertain.

“There are stories,” she admitted quietly.

“What kind of stories?”

She stepped over a fallen branch before answering.

“About a rogue mage who disappeared centuries ago after experimenting with forbidden magic.”

Kael blinked. “Centuries?”

“There are mages who extend their lives unnaturally.”

Kael stared at her. “That’s possible?”

“With enough power? Almost anything is.”

That answer did not comfort him.

The sun had nearly disappeared by the time they finally stopped near a river cutting through the woods. Lyra crouched beside the water to refill a vessel while Kael leaned against a tree, exhaustion slowly catching up to him. The forest around them glowed faintly beneath moonlight now until Kael sensed someone move in the woods behind him.

He peeled away from the tree, stepping backwards towards Lyra as his eyes scanned the dark forest.

“…Lyra.”

She looked up instantly.

“You hear that?”

She stayed still, ears to the ground but she couldn't seem to hear anything but the entire forest had gone silent.

Lyra slowly stood, her hand moved toward her sword.

Kael felt it next, a strange warmth beneath his skin. Something was nearby.

A twig snapped behind them and Kael turned sharply but saw nothing.

Lyra stepped closer to him now, eyes scanning the darkness between the trees.

“We’re not alone.”

A low chuckle drifted through the woods.

Kael’s body tensed instantly.

A figure emerged slowly from the shadows ahead wearing a dark cloak stained from travel. A curved blade rested across his shoulder while silver hair tied behind his head moved lightly in the wind.

The man’s sharp eyes settled directly on Kael. Then he smiled.

“Well,” he said softly, “looks like I found the reward.”