Chapter 17
The eastern wing of Dravencourt lay in ruin.
Smoke curled from cracked stone, and shattered beams jutted out like broken ribs. Soldiers scrambled to contain the damage. Servants whispered of magic too old to name.
But inside the infirmary—where the air was thick with healing herbs and silence—General Ryven stirred.
Eliendara sat beside him, motionless, her gaze heavy. Kael stood at the door, arms folded, his eyes not leaving Ryven's face.
The man groaned softly and blinked open his eyes.
He looked around—confused, dazed.
"...Where am I?" he rasped.
"You're in Dravencourt," Kael said. "The infirmary."
Ryven blinked again. "I… don't remember getting hurt."
Eliendara didn't speak. She was listening—feeling. Searching for the faint trace of the Sealing Mark she'd burned into ash.
But there was nothing.
No magic residue. No corrupted aura.
Just an empty man.
"Do you remember the chamber?" Kael asked.
Ryven frowned. "Chamber? I… I don't know what you're talking about."
Kael's tone darkened. "You were there. Beneath the manor. You followed her down. And you—"
"That's not possible," Ryven cut in, voice sharp. "I was in the barracks. The last thing I remember is speaking to Thorne."
Silence.
Eliendara's breath caught.
"Thorne?" she asked carefully. "When?"
"Two nights ago," Ryven said. "He said he wanted to discuss something... a strategy for reinforcing the eastern border."
Kael's eyes narrowed. "You're saying Thorne called you?"
Ryven looked between them, clearly on edge. "Is something wrong? Did I do something?"
Eliendara leaned closer. "Do you remember touching me? Placing a rune on my shoulder?"
Ryven looked horrified. "No. Gods, no. I would never—"
But even as he spoke, his hands trembled. And his eyes… shifted. Not color. Not shape.
Depth.
Like a second mind was peering from within.
Eliendara stood.
"He doesn't remember because he wasn't awake," she said softly. "They used him. The mark was a conduit. They puppeteered his body."
Kael's voice was quiet, restrained. "And Thorne gave them the strings."
Eliendara's heart twisted.
She had known Thorne was dangerous. But she hadn't imagined this—that he was collaborating with the Seven. That he had sacrificed her past, and now sought to control her present.
She turned back to Ryven. "I can heal your body. But your soul's been touched."
He swallowed hard. "Can it be undone?"
"No," she said. "But it can be protected."
She drew a circle in the air. A ward of binding—not to imprison, but to shield. Silver light spun around his chest, anchoring to the bones of his ribcage.
Kael watched it all, silent.
And then he spoke. "If Thorne was behind this…"
Eliendara finished his thought.
"…Then the next move he makes won't be in shadows."
She turned away from the infirmary window.
"He'll come for me.Openly.And he'll bring others with him."
🔮 Next Chapter Preview – Chapter 18: The Wedding of Ash and Blood
An invitation arrives—written in Thorne's own hand.
He requests an audience.
Not at war. Not in secret.
But at a wedding.
His own.
And the name of the bride…Eliendara Vexley.
A name she never gave him permission to use.A name she never thought she'd see again.