Captain Harven didn't say anything when the squad reached the gate.
That was worse than yelling.
Kel stopped in front of him with Luno beside him. Mira, Toma, Doss and Puck slowly gathered behind them, although Doss looked like he was considering whether standing farther back would somehow make Harven forget he existed.
Harven looked over all six of them.
His eyes stopped on Doss's torn shoulder, then moved to the cuts across Kel's shirt and the swelling already forming along his face.
Finally, he looked at Luno.
"Report."
Luno glanced at Kel.
Kel sighed. "Can we eat first?"
"No."
"Worth asking."
Harven turned toward the command building.
"My office. Kel and Luno."
Doss quietly started walking away.
Harven stopped.
"The rest of you get checked by the healer."
Doss nodded quickly.
"That was exactly where I was going."
Mira pushed him toward the medical building.
Puck followed with his sack still hanging over his shoulder.
Harven stared at it.
"Is that bread?"
"Emergency bread."
Harven looked at Kel.
Kel immediately raised both hands.
"Nothing to do with me."
For the first time, Harven's expression almost changed.
Almost.
"Office."
Kel and Luno followed him.
---
Harven closed the door behind them.
Kel took the chair in front of the desk. Luno sat beside him and removed his hat, setting it carefully on his knee.
Spark poked his head out.
Harven noticed him but didn't say anything.
Several insects crawled across Luno's shoulders before disappearing into his clothes.
Harven sat behind his desk.
"Start from the beginning."
Luno did.
He explained the abandoned wagon they found on the road, the missing tracks, and the strange External Qi disturbance Kel had sensed. Then he explained what they found after entering Rookwell.
Empty houses.
Abandoned food.
Blood.
Claw marks.
Harven listened without interrupting.
Luno continued with the Hive.
He explained how Kel refused to send the squad deeper into town without knowing what was waiting for them, so they used the insects to search instead.
Harven's eyes moved toward Kel.
Kel noticed.
"What?"
"Nothing."
"That never means nothing."
"Continue."
Luno told him about the insects refusing to search because they were frightened.
Then Spark.
Harven finally looked interested.
"Spark convinced them?"
Luno nodded.
"He can talk to insects."
Harven looked at Spark.
Spark stared back.
"You knew that?" Harven asked.
"Yes."
"And you've never mentioned it?"
"You never asked."
Harven stared at him.
Kel started laughing.
"That's exactly what he told Luno."
Harven rubbed his forehead.
"Continue."
Luno explained how the insects found the missing citizens inside Rookwell's town hall.
Then he got to the Abyssal Hounds.
Harven's expression changed.
"How many?"
"At least eight," Luno said.
Harven looked at Kel.
"And you stayed."
Kel knew this part was coming.
"We couldn't tell what was controlling them yet."
"That wasn't my question."
Kel leaned back.
"We stayed."
Harven's jaw tightened.
Luno stepped in.
"None of us sensed anything close to the level you showed us."
Harven looked at him.
"That doesn't automatically mean something is safe."
"We know," Luno said. "That's why Kel didn't send everybody in."
Harven's attention returned to Kel.
Kel explained the plan. Luno, Mira and Puck would locate the civilians and get them out. Toma would stay near the escape route. Kel and Doss would draw the hounds away because they had the largest Internal Qi reserves.
Harven listened.
Then Kel told him about the insect trail he'd asked Luno to leave toward the gate in case they needed to retreat.
Harven's expression softened slightly.
Only slightly.
"You split the squad."
Kel nodded.
"You remember the first thing I taught you?"
"Stay together."
"And?"
Kel knew where this was going.
"It worked."
Harven leaned forward.
"A bad decision working doesn't turn it into a good decision."
Kel opened his mouth.
Harven raised one finger.
"No."
Kel closed it.
"If that controlling Abyssal being had been stronger than Luno believed, you would've had three separate groups spread across a town none of you knew."
Kel thought about it.
Harven continued.
"Your plan wasn't terrible. You had communication. You established an escape route. You assigned roles based on what people could actually do."
Kel waited.
"But you still took a risk you didn't completely understand."
Kel nodded.
That was fair.
Harven leaned back.
"What happened next?"
Luno continued.
He told Harven about the citizens escaping through the rear of town hall and the three prisoners left upstairs.
Then Kel took over.
"The thing controlling the hounds was up there."
"What did it look like?"
Kel described it.
Thin gray body.
Black veins.
Long arms.
Dark eyes.
Harven listened carefully.
"It talked?"
"Yeah."
"What did it say?"
Kel hesitated.
Luno looked at him.
Kel remembered the creature staring at him.
The warm one.
That heat.
"It said I was warm."
Harven stopped moving.
Kel noticed immediately.
"What?"
"Nothing."
Kel frowned.
"You've said that twice."
"And I'm going to say it a third time if you keep asking."
Kel stared at him.
Harven stared back.
Luno looked between them.
Spark quietly disappeared farther into the hat.
Kel eventually gave up.
"It was stronger than the hounds. Better with Internal Qi too."
"How did you beat it?"
Kel looked down at his hands.
"I started feeling where its Qi was moving."
Harven's eyes narrowed.
Kel continued.
"I couldn't keep up with it at first. It was faster than me. Every time it hit me, though, I started noticing something. Before it moved fast, Qi went into its legs. Before it hit harder, it gathered in its arm or shoulder."
Harven didn't interrupt.
"So I stopped trying to watch everything it was doing. I watched where its Qi was going."
Kel raised his left arm.
"When I couldn't dodge the last hit, I put everything I could here."
Harven looked at the bruised forearm.
"What happened?"
"I thought it broke my arm."
Luno smiled.
"It broke its wrist."
Harven looked back at Kel.
"And then?"
Kel flexed his right hand.
"I hit it."
"With what?"
"My fist."
Harven's expression didn't change.
Kel sighed.
"Internal Qi."
"Anything else?"
Kel thought about the strange warmth he'd felt.
"I don't know."
Harven knew that answer before Kel gave it.
"Think."
Kel frowned.
"It got hot."
Harven became very still.
"My hand. Maybe my arm too. It wasn't burning me. It just felt... hot."
Kel shrugged.
"Then I hit it, and it went through a wall."
Luno leaned toward Harven.
"It was a pretty good punch."
Harven ignored him.
He was looking at Kel differently now.
Kel noticed.
"What?"
Before Harven could answer, someone knocked on the door.
Harven's eyes remained on Kel.
"Come in."
The door opened.
A tall cloaked man stepped inside.
He took one step.
Then stopped.
Kel immediately noticed his attention shift toward him.
The stranger stared.
Not at Kel's injuries.
Not at his clothes.
At him.
Kel stared back.
A few uncomfortable seconds passed.
"Problem?" Kel asked.
The stranger's eyebrow lifted.
Luno whispered, "You really need to stop saying that to dangerous-looking people."
"He started staring."
Harven stood.
He didn't look happy.
"You took your time."
The man smiled faintly.
"You always hated waiting."
Kel looked between them.
"You know him?"
Harven sighed.
"Unfortunately."
The stranger pulled back his hood.
He looked older than Harven but carried himself like someone who hadn't forgotten how to fight.
Harven walked around the desk.
"Kel. Luno. This is Dyrain Stonesborn."
Neither boy reacted at first.
Then Harven added, "Leader of the Running Rebels."
Kel sat straighter.
Luno's eyes widened.
Harven wasn't finished.
"He also trained Roku and Solara."
Kel looked at Dyrain again.
"That explains it."
Luno turned toward him.
"What?"
"Why those two are crazy."
Dyrain laughed.
"I like him."
"Don't," Harven said.
Dyrain's attention returned to Kel.
The smile faded slightly.
There it was again.
Something underneath the boy's Internal Qi.
Faint.
Warm.
Buried deep enough that most people would've missed it.
Dyrain didn't.
His eyes narrowed.
Kel immediately noticed.
"You're staring again."
Dyrain smiled.
"Just thinking."
"Think somewhere else."
Luno covered his face.
Harven pointed toward the door.
"You two are done."
Kel stood.
"That's it?"
"You brought everyone back."
Kel stopped.
Harven looked at him.
"Six left."
Kel smiled slightly.
"Six came back."
Harven nodded.
"You made mistakes. We'll talk about those tonight."
Kel's smile disappeared.
"Of course we will."
"But you remembered the important part."
Kel nodded.
Everyone came home.
He and Luno headed toward the door.
Dyrain stepped aside.
As Luno passed, Spark crawled onto the top of his hat.
Dyrain froze again.
This time Kel didn't notice.
Harven did.
Dyrain's eyes followed Spark.
Spark turned.
For a moment, the two stared at each other.
Then Spark clicked once.
Dyrain's expression changed.
Luno kept walking.
"Come on, Spark."
The little creature disappeared into the hat.
Kel and Luno left.
The door closed behind them.
Dyrain waited.
Then he looked at Harven.
"You really kept a Fireborne Realm boy secret from us?"
Harven's face hardened instantly.
"Keep your voice down."
Dyrain glanced toward the closed door.
"Who is he related to?"
"None of your business."
"Harven."
"I said it's none of your business."
Dyrain stared at him.
"You hid a Fireborne boy for eleven years and somehow that's none of my business?"
Harven stepped closer.
"This place is under my protection."
"I can see that."
"Then understand what that means."
Harven pointed toward the window.
"Durnfield is mine to protect. So are the farms around it and the nearby towns that come to me when they don't have anyone else."
Dyrain crossed his arms.
"We used to be allies."
"Used to be."
That answer came quickly.
Harven continued.
"I left that life. That was the deal. I disappeared, stayed out of your wars and got to live peacefully."
Dyrain looked around the small office.
"This is peaceful?"
"Compared to you people? Very."
Dyrain almost smiled.
Harven didn't.
"So what brings me the pleasure of having Dyrain Stonesborn standing in my office? Because I know this isn't a friendly visit."
Dyrain's expression became serious.
"You're right."
He walked toward the window.
"But I'm glad I came."
Harven didn't like the sound of that.
Dyrain looked toward the road.
Kel and Luno were walking away from the command building. Luno was talking with his hands while Kel laughed at something he said.
"I found them."
Harven frowned.
"Found who?"
Dyrain looked at him.
"The three."
Harven's expression changed.
He didn't need Dyrain to explain.
"The ancient bloodlines?"
Dyrain nodded.
"And they're youths."
Harven looked back toward Kel.
Dyrain continued.
"Three ancient bloodlines. All coming of age around the same time."
His voice carried something between excitement and concern.
"The sky is the limit with them."
Harven already knew where this was going.
"No."
Dyrain laughed.
"I haven't asked anything yet."
"You're about to."
Dyrain pointed through the window.
"Why are you limiting the one you have under your protection?"
Harven's eyes hardened.
"He's not under my control."
"You know what I mean."
"No. I know exactly how people like you start talking when you see somebody with power."
"People like me?"
"Running Rebels."
Dyrain's expression changed.
Harven didn't care.
"Kel isn't a weapon. He's not replacing anybody we lost. He's not finishing our wars."
"I didn't come here to recruit him."
"Good."
Dyrain looked at him for a moment.
"Because we have a bigger problem."
Harven's joking disappeared.
Dyrain walked toward the map on the wall.
"It's starting again."
Harven said nothing.
He didn't have to ask what Dyrain meant.
"Abyssal beings are showing up more often," Dyrain continued. "The Hellfire Rebels are moving again too."
Harven looked toward the map.
"How bad?"
"Worse than the reports say."
Dyrain pointed toward several settlements.
"They aren't just killing people anymore."
Harven's eyes narrowed.
"They're taking them."
That made Harven think about Rookwell.
The citizens hadn't been slaughtered.
They'd been trapped.
Three had been separated upstairs.
Dyrain continued.
"We've found survivors. Some escaped. Some were released after whoever had them decided they didn't know anything useful."
"Useful about what?"
"Routes. Families. Old names. Locations."
Dyrain paused.
"Bloodlines."
Harven's eyes immediately moved toward the window.
Dyrain noticed.
"Exactly."
"What are they looking for?"
"I don't know yet."
"Then find out."
"I'm trying."
Harven turned toward him.
Dyrain continued before he could speak.
"But if you actually want to protect that boy, hiding him isn't enough anymore."
"I've been training him."
"I can tell."
That answer surprised Harven.
Dyrain looked toward the road again.
"But you're training him to survive here."
Harven's jaw tightened.
Dyrain looked directly at him.
"Train him for what's coming."
Silence settled between them.
"If this keeps moving the way it is," Dyrain continued, "that boy isn't going to survive just because nobody knows his last name."
Harven hated hearing it.
Mostly because part of him agreed.
Dyrain turned away from the window.
"One more thing."
Harven sighed.
"What?"
Dyrain pointed toward the door Kel and Luno had left through.
"Was that a Myriarch sitting on that boy's head?"
Harven was quiet for a moment.
Then he nodded.
"Yeah."
Dyrain stared at him.
"You want to explain why a Myriarch is walking around Durnfield riding on a kid's head?"
"No."
"Harven."
"I can't explain it because I don't know."
That actually surprised Dyrain.
Harven walked back toward his desk.
"He's been with Luno since we found him."
Dyrain's expression changed.
"Since you found him?"
"Eleven years ago."
"Eleven?"
Harven nodded.
"Spark has barely left that boy's side since."
"And you don't know why?"
"No."
"You never asked?"
Harven looked at him.
"Of course I asked."
"And?"
"Spark answers questions when Spark feels like answering questions."
Dyrain thought about the little creature he'd just seen.
"That sounds about right."
"He hasn't hurt Luno. Actually, he's protected him more than once."
Harven looked toward the window again.
"So I stopped trying to separate them a long time ago."
Dyrain slowly shook his head.
"A Fireborne Realm boy and another child walking around with a Myriarch."
"Don't."
"Raised together in some forgotten Badlands village."
"Dyrain."
Dyrain smiled faintly.
"I'm just saying."
"Don't."
The smile disappeared.
Dyrain looked toward the window one last time.
Kel and Luno had nearly reached the orphanage road.
"Whatever you thought you were hiding here, Harven, it isn't hidden anymore."
Harven didn't answer.
Outside, Luno suddenly grabbed the top of his hat.
Even from this distance, Harven could tell Spark was doing something annoying.
Kel laughed.
Luno shoved him.
Kel shoved him back.
For a moment they didn't look like ancient bloodlines, warriors, targets or anything else Dyrain had just called them.
They looked sixteen.
Harven watched until they disappeared down the road.
For eleven years, keeping them hidden had been enough.
It wasn't anymore.
End of Chapter 20 — The Hidden Flame