The King's Guard

Chapter 91

The moon hung low over the ruins of Stormhaven’s border fort, its light catching on the shattered stone like cold glass. The squad had been tracking their target for three nights: an officer rumored to be ferrying invasion orders through the burnt corridor north of Kharrow Vale.

They moved without torches. Only Reyna’s soft gestures guided them through the mist. Kael followed close behind, his fingers brushing the cold edge of his blade. Every sound pressed tight against his nerves.

Reyna glanced back. “We clear?”

Kael nodded once. “Footsteps ahead. Two, maybe three.”

Kyna whispered, “Scouts?”

“Could be,” Reyna murmured. “Or bait.”

Drax’s voice crackled faintly through the comm bead. “Keep the formation. Don’t engage until confirmation.”

They inched forward. The rebels appeared first as silhouettes: thin, bent shapes framed by moonlight. Kael’s hand hovered near the hilt, but Reyna lifted hers. Wait.

When the first figure turned, the sigil of Stormhaven shimmered faintly on his armor.

Kael’s stomach turned. “They’re not rebels.”

Reyna’s jaw tightened. “Then who the hell are we hunting?”

Before she could answer, a flare burst behind them. Arrows streaked through the night.

“Ambush!” Kyna shouted.

Chaos snapped the quiet. Kael pulled Reyna down behind a fallen column as bolts struck the stone, sending shards into the air. He drew his blade, and the Rift stirred as a faint hum beneath his ribs.

Reyna glanced at him, eyes bright with command and something sharper. “You good?”

“Better than I look.”

“Then move.”

They broke cover together, weaving between ruins, Kael cutting down one attacker while Reyna disarmed another. The last rebel fell to Kyna’s knives. Silence returned, trembling at the edges.

Reyna pressed a hand to Kael’s arm. “You’re bleeding.”

He blinked. “Didn’t notice.”

She tore a strip from her cloak, tying it around the cut. “You’d walk through a storm and call it fine.”

He tried to smile. “Habit.”

“Bad one.” Her hands lingered just a heartbeat too long before she looked away. “We camp here. Drax will retrieve us at dawn.”

The fire was small, half-hidden behind a slope of stone. Kyna kept watch. The others rested.

Kael sat beside Reyna, the heat painting light across her cheekbones. He hadn’t realized how close they’d come to death until now.

Reyna broke the silence. “You almost burned yourself out back there. I saw it, the Rift flickered.”

“I kept it controlled.”

“Barely.”

Kael exhaled slowly. “You sound like Darius.”

“I’ll take that as praise.”

He studied her tired face streaked with ash, but calm. “Why do you keep doing this?”

“Because someone has to keep you from turning to smoke.”

He smiled faintly. “You think I’d vanish that easy?”

“I think you’d try,” she said, voice quiet.

The words settled between them. The wind shifted, carrying the scent of rain.

Kael looked away first. “You know what I saw in the Rift vision?”

“What?”

“A woman. Golden hair. Walking away from someone. It felt… wrong. Like a memory that isn’t mine.”

Reyna frowned. “Maybe it’s a warning.”

“Or a mistake.”

“Kael, your power doesn’t make mistakes. You just don’t know what it wants yet.”

He turned back to her. “And you do?”

She held his gaze, unflinching. “I know what you want. To make sense of it. To be more than what Archon lets you be.”

“Maybe.”

Her hand brushed his sleeve again, slower this time. “You don’t have to figure it out alone.”

For a moment, neither moved. The air felt too still, the fire too bright. Kael’s heart thudded loud in his chest.

Reyna’s voice softened. “You’re shaking.”

“Not from the cold.”

She looked at him, eyes steady, and something unspoken shifted. The distance between them closed by breath and heartbeat. Their lips met in sync, each battling for dominance in a kiss themed tug of war.

The kiss lasted longer than expected and when they parted, Reyna’s forehead rested against his. “That was…”

“Stupid,” Kael said.

“Maybe.” Her smile ghosted. “But not wrong.”

From the shadows beyond the campfire, Jared watched.

He’d woken to the whisper of movement and seen them: silhouettes framed by firelight, heads bowed close. He felt something cold twist beneath his ribs.

Kyna’s voice drifted nearby. “You should stop watching.”

He flinched slightly. “Didn’t realize I was that obvious.”

“You are.” She folded her arms. “Jealousy doesn’t suit you.”

“I’m not jealous.”

She gave a quiet laugh. “Then what are you?”

Jared’s eyes didn’t leave the fire. “Left behind.”

Kyna tilted her head. “Kael’s not your enemy.”

“He’s everyone’s competition.”

“For what?”

He didn’t answer. His hands clenched once, then relaxed. “Forget it.”

Kyna studied him for a moment, then said softly, “You don’t have to like him. Just don’t lose yourself trying to outshine him.”

Jared smiled without humour. “Too late for that.”

The storm hit just before dawn, scattering the ashes of the fire. They packed in silence, rain hissing over steel and mud.

Reyna moved ahead, issuing orders with crisp calm. Kael followed close, feeling the faint echo of her touch still on his skin.

When Jared brushed past him, their shoulders collided harder than needed.

“Watch your step,” Jared muttered.

Kael didn’t respond. He didn’t need to. The weight in Jared’s voice said enough.

As they reached the ridge, thunder rolled across the sky.

Reyna turned to signal them forward. “Let’s move. We’ve got ground to cover.”

Kael nodded, falling into step beside her.

Jared stayed behind a heartbeat longer, watching them, rain dripping down his face like something he couldn’t shake.

Under his breath, barely audible, he said, “You won’t always have her.”

Then he followed, the storm closing around them like a curtain.