The cave stank of damp stone and rusted iron.
Water dripped from the ceiling, each drop echoing like a clock counting down.
April's footsteps were cautious as she moved deeper, the Mirror hidden under her cloak. Her fire still hummed in her veins from the river fight, but now… it was quieter. Watching. Waiting.
A low groan reached her ears.
She turned a corner — and froze.
A man sat chained to the far wall, wrists locked in glowing cuffs etched with the same runes the hunters wore. His hair was matted, his clothes torn, but his eyes… his eyes burned like hers. Golden, with faint traces of ember-red in the iris.
He lifted his head slowly.
"You shouldn't be here," he rasped.
April stepped closer, her heart pounding. "Who are you?"
"A mistake they tried to erase." His gaze flicked to her cloak. "And you're holding the reason they failed."
Her grip on the Mirror tightened. "You know what this is?"
A bitter smile curved his lips. "The Mirror doesn't choose many. And it only chooses blood."
Something inside her shifted at the word blood. "You're saying… we're related?"
His expression darkened. "More than related. I'm your mother's brother."
April's knees felt weak. "My… uncle?"
He nodded once. "The hunters work for the same people who destroyed her — and they'll do the same to you if you don't learn the truth. But truth has a price, April."
Her voice was barely a whisper. "What price?"
Before he could answer, the air in the cave thickened — heavy, electric. Shadows bled along the walls, and the temperature dropped until April could see her breath.
Footsteps echoed from the tunnel entrance.
The silver-masked leader emerged, flanked by two hunters. His voice was calm, almost amused.
"I was hoping the river would bring you here. Saves me the trouble."
April stepped in front of her uncle, fire licking at her fingertips. "If you want him, you'll have to go through me."
The leader tilted his head. "Oh, I don't want him. I want you. And the Mirror."
The runes on his gauntlet flared purple, casting jagged light across the cave. "But I'll take the pleasure of ending his life first."
April's fire roared in her hands. "You're not touching him."
The leader's voice lowered. "Then burn, little flame."
He struck — a blast of violet energy tearing through the cave. April met it with a wall of golden fire, the clash shaking the walls, scattering sparks like falling stars.
When the light cleared, the leader stood smiling. "Stronger than I expected. That means your time is almost up."
And just like that, he vanished into shadow.
April staggered, her chest heaving. Her uncle's voice broke through the ringing in her ears.
"You've lit the spark, April. Now you need to decide… will you control the fire, or will it consume you?"
She looked down at the Mirror in her hand. Its surface pulsed once, twice — and then stilled.
🔥 Teaser for Chapter 11:April's uncle knows the truth about her mother's death… but telling it might unleash a firestorm the kingdoms aren't ready for.