The ruin did not release them gently.
Stone groaned as ancient seals loosened, grinding open with reluctant finality. Cold night air rushed in, sharp and biting after the heat within. Elowen staggered as the threshold released its grip on her blood, the bond loosening just enough to remind her what exhaustion felt like.
Kael kept an arm around her without asking.
This time, she did not pull away.
The wasteland beyond the ruin lay silent, but it was not empty. Elowen felt it immediately, the way her skin prickled, the way the bond tightened not in warning but in anticipation.
"We are not alone," she said quietly.
Kael nodded. "No. And they are not hiding."
Torches flared to life along the ridge above them.
Figures emerged from the darkness, armored and deliberate, bearing the sigil of the crown. At their center stood a man in black and gold, his posture rigid with authority, his expression carved from contempt.
Lord Commander Thane Varik.
Kael stiffened.
"That is the king's blade," Elowen murmured.
"And his mouth," Kael replied. "He does not come unless ordered."
Varik raised a hand, and the soldiers halted.
"Kael Morren," Varik called. "Step away from the girl."
Elowen felt the command slam against her like a physical force. Not magic. Expectation. The world trying to put itself back into familiar shape.
Kael did not move.
Varik's gaze sharpened. "You are already condemned. Do not add treason to her list of crimes."
Her list.
Elowen straightened slowly, slipping free of Kael's hold. The movement felt deliberate, weighted. The bond hummed in approval.
"I am not his crime," she said.
Varik's eyes snapped to her. He took her in quickly, assessing, dismissive. "You are nothing."
The words should have stung.
They did not.
Something inside Elowen settled instead, heavy and sure.
"I am Elowen Ashbearer," she said clearly. "And you crossed a border you were warned never to touch."
A murmur rippled through the soldiers.
Varik's smile was thin. "Ashbearers are dead."
"So you told yourselves," she replied.
The air shifted.
Power rolled outward from her in a controlled wave, not violent but absolute. The torches flickered. Horses screamed. Several soldiers stumbled back, suddenly unable to meet her gaze.
Varik faltered.
Only for a heartbeat.
"Kill her," he ordered. "Now."
The archers raised their bows.
Kael moved before Elowen could speak.
He stepped in front of her, fire igniting instantly, a wall of heat and light that warped the air. Arrows burned to ash before they reached him.
"Do not," Kael said, his voice carrying unnaturally far. "You will not touch her."
Varik laughed. "Look at you. Reduced to guard dog."
Kael's jaw tightened. "Say another word."
Elowen felt the shift then.
Not just power.
Choice.
The ruin had shown her the truth, but it had not taken her will. This moment was hers.
She placed her hand lightly on Kael's back.
He froze.
"Move," she said softly.
He turned to her, conflict burning in his eyes. "Elowen."
"I said move."
The bond surged, firm and undeniable.
Kael stepped aside.
The soldiers stared, stunned.
Elowen walked forward alone.
Every step felt like walking into deep water. Pressure pressed in from all sides, testing her resolve. She did not hurry. She did not stop.
Varik recovered his composure. "You think power makes you untouchable."
"No," she said. "I think fear makes you predictable."
She raised her hand.
Not in attack.
In command.
The earth beneath the soldiers' feet cracked sharply, just enough to throw them off balance. No blood. No death. A demonstration.
"Leave," Elowen said. "Carry my name back to the crown. Tell them the Ashbearombearer lives."
Varik's face twisted with rage. "You will burn for this."
"Yes," she agreed calmly. "Eventually."
She lowered her hand.
The ground stilled.
Varik hesitated, then made a sharp gesture. The soldiers retreated, dragging the shaken and injured with them. Torches vanished one by one into the darkness.
When they were gone, the silence felt immense.
Kael turned to her slowly.
"What did you just do," he asked.
She exhaled shakily. "I claimed space."
The bond pulsed, warm and approving.
Kael stared at her, awe and fear colliding in his expression. "They will not forget that."
"I do not want them to," she said.
He stepped closer, lowering his voice. "You know what this makes you."
"Yes."
"A symbol," he said. "A threat. A war."
She met his gaze steadily. "And you."
His mouth curved into something dark and resolute. "I crossed that line the moment I chose you."
The words landed between them, heavy and irrevocable.
For a heartbeat, the tension between them shifted again, sharpening into something intimate and dangerous. His hand brushed hers, accidental or not she could not tell. The contact sent heat spiraling through her, the bond tightening eagerly.
"We cannot do this now," he said quietly.
"I know," she replied.
But neither of them moved away.
Somewhere far away, bells would be ringing. Messengers would be riding. The crown would be deciding how to respond to a name it thought buried.
Elowen Ashbearer.
The world had learned her name.
And Kael Morren had chosen his side.