The twin horns echoed yet again through the valley, low and eerie, as if the very land was summoning its lost queen.
Elara stood frozen, her eyes fixed on the distant horizon where a faint orange glow flickered through the fog. It wasn't fire this time, it was torchlight. Moving. Coordinated.
"They're coming this way," Kai murmured, his hand already resting on the hilt of his sword. "We need to get moving before dawn."
"Move where?" Seren's voice was barely above a whisper. "We don't even know who they are."
Elara felt a tightness in her chest. The voice from the fire still echoed in her mind, a whisper of command and fate.
The crown calls to you. "What if they're from the court?" she asked. "What if someone made it out alive?"
Kai's expression turned serious. "And what if it's a trap? Those horns could belong to the same men who destroyed your home."
Elara held his gaze, unyielding. "Then I'll confront them. I refuse to keep running from shadows."
Kai let out a frustrated breath, a flicker of annoyance in his eyes, but he didn't argue. He had learned that Elara's determination was forged from the same fire that coursed through her veins.
They ventured into the woods, the air thick with the scent of damp ash and pine. The moon hung low and heavy, its pale light glinting off Kai's blade as they moved. Every sound felt amplified. The snap of a branch, the rustle of leaves.
Elara's magic pulsed beneath her skin, restless. With each quickening heartbeat, the faint glow beneath her palms flared to life. She clenched her fists, trying to suppress it, but it only intensified.
As they reached a ridge overlooking the valley, they spotted it, a line of figures carrying banners charred black, the sigil of a phoenix barely discernible.
Seren gasped. "That's the royal emblem. My lady… they're yours."
Elara's throat constricted. Could it be? Survivors of her father's guard, or impostors claiming the remnants of his legacy?
Before she could respond, Kai's hand tightened on her shoulder. "Look closer."
At the front of the column, a figure in silver armor rode, their helm topped with a broken crown. When the rider turned, the torchlight illuminated a crest she recognized from paintings.
"House Vael," Kai murmured. "The king's cousin's line. They betrayed your father."
Elara felt a chill run through her. "They shouldn't be here. My father exiled them."
"Then they've returned," Kai said, his tone heavy, "and they want something."
As if sensing their presence, the lead rider stopped and raised a hand. The horns blared again, a call to action.
Kai pulled Elara back into the shadows. "If they spot you, they'll know the heir is alive. That could spark another war."
Elara's heart raced. "Or it could end one."
He turned to her, his voice low and sharp. "You don't even grasp what you are right now. You nearly set me on fire."
His words struck hard. "And yet, here you are."
A tense silence hung between them, fear, longing, and defiance all tangled together. Then, something shifted below caught Elara's attention. Among the riders, a prisoner was being dragged on his knees, cloaked, bloodied, his face obscured. But even from afar, the way he moved, the angle of his head, stirred a painful ache in her chest.
"Who is that?" she whispered.
Kai squinted. "A message. Or a warning."
The prisoner was forced to kneel before the lead rider, who drew a blade that shimmered in the torchlight. For a heartbeat, silence enveloped them. Then, the sword fell.
Elara flinched. Seren covered her mouth to suppress a cry.
But instead of blood, a burst of golden flame erupted from the prisoner's body, spiraling into the sky. The riders recoiled, their torches flickering wildly.
When the light dimmed, the man was gone. Only ashes remained.
Elara's breath came in quick, uneven gasps. "That light, it was just like mine."
Kai met her gaze, his eyes dark. "Then he was one of you."
"One of me?"
He nodded slowly. "You're one of the last of the old bloodline. The phoenix fire."
A wave of nausea washed over her. "And they killed him for it."
Kai's voice dropped to a whisper, heavy with dread. "Then you're next on their list."
Down below, the lead rider raised their sword high, the flames dancing off their armor. Even from this distance, Elara felt their gaze cutting through the trees, locking onto her.
The fire coursing through her veins flared up in response, so intense that Kai had to grip her arm to keep her steady.
"Elara," he urged softly, "you need to rein it in."
"I can't." Her voice shook. "It's calling to me."
"Then you have to fight it," he insisted, urgency lacing his words. "If they see that light, we're finished."
But the fire had already made its choice. It erupted from her hands in a dazzling burst of gold, lighting up the ridge for miles around.
Below, the riders turned in unison, their horns blaring once again, this time, not as a call to arms. But as a signal for the hunt.
The night erupted into chaos.
The horns blared again, this time much closer, their echo rolling through the valley like thunder. Kai muttered a curse under his breath and grabbed Elara's arm. "Run!"
Seren stumbled after them as they raced down the slope, branches snagging at their cloaks. Behind them, torchlight flared up, a river of gold and red slicing through the forest.
Elara's chest felt like it was on fire with every step, her heartbeat pounding in sync with the flames that refused to die down. The fire craved freedom. It wanted to respond to the horns, to consume everything that posed a threat to her. It scared her how much she yearned for that, too.
"Keep moving!" Kai yelled. "They're spreading out!"
They crashed through the underbrush until they reached a stream. Kai splashed cold water over her hands. "Focus on this," he said sharply. "Feel the cold. Don't let the fire take over."
Elara trembled, the heat fading under his touch. For a brief moment, their eyes locked, fear and something more intense passing between them.
Then, from the trees above, came the sound of wings, neither bird nor beast. Something ancient. Watching. Waiting.
The forest held its breath.
And the hunt began.