---
The tavern erupted into chaos. Chairs scraped, mugs toppled, and villagers stumbled back from the girl as though she carried plague in her hands. The sparks dancing at her fingertips hissed, casting flickers of light across her face.
"Stay back!" she snapped, voice trembling but fierce. "I won't go with them!"
Ethan's heart thundered. His senses sharpened instinctively, her magic wasn't just light. It pulsed, alive, like a storm compressed into a single breath. He could hear it hum, feel it against his skin like static before a lightning strike.
Kael cursed under his breath, drawing his blade. "Sorceress, put it out before someone dies."
Her eyes darted to him. "And let them drag me in chains? Not a chance."
Outside, booted footsteps pounded against the dirt. Ethan heard them clearly, more than a dozen men, armored, moving fast. His ears picked up the clink of shackles, the creak of crossbows being drawn back. Whoever was after her, they weren't amateurs.
Ethan spoke before thinking. "They're coming. Soldiers. Fifteen, no, sixteen of them. From the east."
The girl froze, eyes narrowing. "How do you—?"
Kael's head snapped toward him too. "You heard all that?"
Ethan realized too late what he'd revealed. His mouth went dry. "…I just… can."
For a heartbeat, silence pressed down on the tavern. Then the door banged open. Men in dark leathers stormed in, faces masked, weapons gleaming. The tavern keeper shrieked and ducked behind her counter.
"There she is!" one of them barked, leveling a crossbow. "By order of the Obsidian Court, the witch comes with us!"
The girl snarled, raising her hands. Sparks exploded into a dazzling arc of fire. The men recoiled, shouting curses as flames licked across the floorboards.
Kael stepped forward, sword flashing. "Damn it, Ethan, stay behind me!"
But Ethan couldn't. His senses overwhelmed him, the stink of burning wood, the whistle of arrows mid-flight, the metallic tang of blood before it was even spilled. He moved without thought, ducking as a crossbow bolt hissed past his ear.
The girl's eyes widened at him, as if she too realized something unnatural was guiding him. "You…" she whispered, even as she hurled another burst of fire.
Kael cut down one attacker with brutal precision, shoving another into the flames. "Out the back!" he roared. "Move!"
The three of them bolted through the rear door into the night air. Behind them, the tavern filled with shouts, crackling fire, and chaos. Ethan's lungs burned as they sprinted down narrow alleys, his every sense screaming with danger.
They didn't stop until they reached the outskirts of Greystone, where the fields met the shadow of the ridge. Panting, Kael spun on the girl, sword still in hand.
"Who are you, sorceress? And why in the gods' names are the Obsidian Court hunting you?"
The girl's chest heaved, sparks still faintly glowing on her palms. She pulled her hood back, revealing tangled auburn hair and sharp green eyes that blazed with defiance.
"My name is Lyra," she said, voice low but steady. "And they hunt me because I know the truth about the Veil."
Ethan's blood ran cold at the word.
Kael stiffened. "What did you say?"
Lyra's gaze shifted to Ethan. Her eyes narrowed, as though she could see beneath his skin. "And you… you're not from this world, are you?"
Ethan's breath caught. For the first time since his arrival, someone had spoken the impossible truth aloud.
---