The darkness was warm at first.
Soft, like sinking into water. Violet's body floated, weightless, until the world took shape around her—trees, sunlight filtering through leaves, the creak of wooden wheels.
She was in a carriage.
The forest rolled past, beautiful and endless. Birds sang. The air smelled of pine and fresh earth.
Across from her sat Vael.
Older now—maybe seventeen, eighteen. His silver hair was longer, tied back. His grey eyes stared down at something in his palm, turning it over slowly.
A broken fang.
His face was sad. Empty.
Violet opened her mouth to speak—
The carriage lurched.
Shouts erupted outside. Steel rang. Horses screamed.
The door was ripped open.
---
Men poured in—dirty, armed, grinning with yellowed teeth. Bandits.
"OUT! ALL OF YOU!" one barked, waving a rusted sword.
The driver stumbled out, hands raised. Violet and Vael followed.
"Everything you got—coin, food, clothes. NOW!"
The passengers emptied their pockets. The bandits laughed, shoving people to the ground.
Then one of them noticed Violet.
His eyes crawled over her—young woman, silver hair, violet eyes. His grin widened.
He walked toward her, boots crunching leaves. "Well, well… what's this?"
Violet stepped back.
He grabbed her by the throat.
She gasped, clawing at his hand. He pulled her close, breath reeking of rot and alcohol.
"Pretty little thing," he hissed. His tongue slid out, moving toward her face—
A hand grabbed his wrist.
Vael.
His grip tightened. Bones cracked.
The bandit screamed.
Vael's claws extended.
In one motion, he tore the man's face off.
Blood sprayed. Flesh hung in ribbons. The bandit's scream became a wet gurgle before he collapsed, twitching.
---
The other bandits froze.
Vael turned toward them slowly, blood dripping from his claws. His eyes glowed feral yellow.
"You touch her," he said, voice low and shaking with rage, "and I'll make sure your deaths are slow."
One bandit raised his sword. "You're just one—"
Vael moved.
A blur of silver and red. His claws ripped through the man's throat before he could finish. Blood fountained. The body dropped.
Another lunged. Vael caught him by the face and slammed him into a tree. The skull cracked. Brain matter slid down the bark.
"STOP! PLEASE—"
Vael tore his arm off. The bandit screamed, staring at the stump gushing blood. Vael kicked him in the chest, sending him sprawling.
"You humans," Vael snarled, stalking forward. "You take. You rape. You kill. You burn villages and call it conquest. You enslave children and call it profit."
He grabbed another by the hair, dragging him across the ground. "You steal lives and laugh about it."
He drove his claws through the man's chest, slowly, twisting. "You're all the same."
The bandit coughed blood. "Mercy—"
"Like you showed my people?" Vael's voice cracked. "Like you showed my father?"
He ripped his heart out.
---
Violet stood frozen, bow in hand.
Two bandits tried to flee. She nocked an arrow, hands steady despite the carnage.
The first arrow pierced one's back. He fell.
The second turned, sword raised—
Her arrow took him through the eye.
Silence.
Bodies littered the ground. Blood soaked the earth.
Vael stood in the center, breathing hard, claws dripping.
The carriage driver stared, pale and shaking. "Th-thank you… gods, thank you…"
Vael said nothing. He walked past the bodies without looking back.
---
They found a clearing as the sun set.
Vael built a fire in silence. Violet sat across from him, watching flames flicker.
He still held the broken fang, turning it over in his bloodstained fingers.
"Why are you so sad whenever you look at it?" Violet asked softly.
Vael didn't answer at first.
Then, quietly: "It's my father's."
Violet waited.
"In my tribe," Vael continued, voice hollow, "it's said a direwolf's power lies in their fangs. When things went bad… when the soldiers came…" His jaw tightened. "My father pulled this out and gave it to me. He said it was his will. His last gift."
His grip tightened until his knuckles went white. "He told me to run. To protect the survivors. To not follow his example."
Violet's chest ached.
"I couldn't," Vael whispered. "I tried. I ran with the others, but they hunted us down. One by one. I couldn't protect anyone." His voice cracked. "This fang is the reminder of my sin."
Violet's hands curled into fists. "It's not—"
"Don't," Vael said sharply. "Don't tell me it's not my fault."
Silence.
Violet looked down. "I… I'm guilty of the same thing. Always protected. Never strong enough."
Vael's eyes flickered toward her.
"But when we reach the capital," Violet said, voice steadying, "I'll ask my mother to seek justice. For your people. For everyone."
Vael's laugh was bitter. "Liar."
Violet looked up—
Vael's body twisted. His hand was gone, severed at the wrist. Blood poured from the stump. His face was battered, bruised, one eye swollen shut.
"She's not even your mother," he rasped, voice filled with agony.
The fire died.
The cell door creaked open.
Velanor stood in the doorway, smiling.
---
Violet jerked awake.
Sweat drenched her clothes. Her breath came in ragged gasps. Her hands shook violently.
"Vael…" she whispered.
"Yeah?"
Her head snapped toward the voice.
Vael—young, whole, alive—sat at the foot of the bed, sniffing her feet.
"Boy, you smell good," he said, tail wagging.
Violet's foot shot out, kicking him square in the face. He flew backward, crashing into the tent wall.
"OW! WHAT WAS THAT FOR?!"
Violet pressed a hand to her chest, breathing hard. "Don't… don't sniff people's feet!"
Vael rubbed his nose, looking genuinely confused. "But I was just—"
The tent flap opened.
Kael stepped inside, carrying a bowl of something steaming. "You look better," he said simply.
Violet nodded, still catching her breath. "I… feel better."
Kael set the bowl down. "Eat. You'll need your strength."
"Eivor?" Violet asked.
"Taken care of. He's waiting for you to wake up."
Violet exhaled in relief.
She reached for her bow and pulled out a messenger arrow. Her hands moved quickly, writing a short message.
"Where do the Grey Mountains lie?" she asked.
Kael pointed. "Southwest."
Violet nocked the arrow, whispered a chant, and released it. The arrow shot into the sky, glowing faintly before vanishing.
Kael's eyes narrowed. "Releasing a messenger arrow in times of war… right in front of me." His voice was calm, dangerous. "I could kill you right here for suspected espionage."
Violet met his gaze. "If you wanted to kill me, you could've done it at Dra-za-li."
Kael stared at her.
Then he laughed—a deep, rumbling sound.
"You're brave, child. I'll give you that." He leaned against the tent pole. "But there's a thin line between bravery and foolishness."
Violet smiled faintly. "I know."
Silence settled.
Kael's expression grew serious. "You wanted answers. I want them too."
Violet nodded. "Ask me."
Kael studied her for a long moment.
Then, quietly: "Are you royalty?"
Violet's smile didn't falter. "I am… but I'm not."
Kael's brow furrowed. His nose twitched—checking for lies.
Nothing.
She was telling the truth.
But the answer made no sense.
"What does that mean?" he asked slowly.