Seraphina's POV
The ritual chamber smelled like blood and smoke.
I stood in the center of a glowing circle, my wrists already aching from the iron cuffs Helena had locked on them an hour ago. Around me, five Council members chanted in the old language, their voices rising and falling like waves. Dark magic crawled across the floor in silver lines, moving toward me like living snakes.
This was worse than I'd imagined.
Helena stood just outside the circle, watching me with cold satisfaction. She'd barely told me anything about this "special mission" except that I'd be working with a partner. The word had made my stomach turn. I didn't want a partner. Partners meant complications I couldn't afford.
The chamber doors burst open.
A man walked in, and I knew immediately this was him. My so-called partner.
He was tall, dressed in black, with a sword strapped to his back. But what made everyone stare were his eyes—clouded white, completely blind. Yet he walked like he could see everything, moving with deadly grace toward the ritual circle.
"You're late," Helena said sharply.
"Your directions were terrible." His voice was cold, almost bored. He stopped at the edge of the circle, tilting his head slightly. "Where's my partner?"
"Right in front of you."
The blind man—Cassian, I remembered from Helena's brief explanation yesterday—turned his face toward me. Even though he couldn't see, I felt exposed under his gaze.
"A girl?" He sounded disgusted. "You're sending me into the Whisperwood with a girl?"
Anger flared in my chest. I wanted to punch him. Instead, I stomped my foot hard against the stone floor.
Cassian's head snapped toward the sound. "Oh, good. She can make noise. Can she fight?"
Helena laughed. "Seraphina is one of our most powerful mages. She'll be more useful than you, I assure you."
"A mage." Cassian's jaw tightened. "Even better. I hate magic."
I hated him already.
"Step into the circle, Thorne," one of the Council members commanded. "We're wasting time."
Cassian hesitated, and I caught something in his expression—uncertainty, maybe even fear. But it vanished quickly as he stepped over the glowing line to stand across from me.
This close, I could see the scars on his face, the hard set of his jaw. He looked like someone who'd survived terrible things and decided to become terrible himself.
"Give me your wrists," Helena ordered, moving between us. "Both of you."
I held out my cuffed wrists. Cassian did the same, his movements stiff.
Helena produced a silver chain that writhed in her hands like it was alive. "The binding spell is simple. You'll be connected until the mission is complete. If you get more than a hundred feet apart, you both die. If one of you dies, the other follows immediately. You're stuck together."
"What?" Cassian's voice turned sharp. "You didn't mention that part."
"Didn't I? How forgetful of me." Helena smiled that cruel smile I knew too well. "The temple requires two people bound by fate to enter. This spell creates that bond. Convenient, isn't it?"
I tried to pull my hands back, but the cuffs held firm. This wasn't just a mission. This was a death sentence with extra steps.
"What if I refuse?" Cassian demanded.
"Then you forfeit the ten thousand gold and I'll find someone else. Of course, I'll also have you arrested for breaking our contract. The Council doesn't appreciate being refused." Helena's voice turned icy. "Your choice, Thorne. Fortune or prison."
Cassian's hands curled into fists. I could see him calculating, weighing options. Finally, he thrust his wrists forward. "Fine. Let's get this over with."
Helena wrapped the silver chain around our wrists, binding us together. The metal was freezing cold against my skin.
"Begin the ritual," she commanded.
The Council members' chanting grew louder. The dark magic on the floor surged upward, wrapping around our legs, our arms, crawling toward our joined wrists like hungry serpents.
Then the pain started.
It felt like my blood was on fire. The silver chain blazed white-hot, burning into my skin. I tried to scream, but no sound came out—just silent agony as the spell carved itself into my flesh.
Across from me, Cassian's face twisted in pain. His teeth were clenched so hard I thought they might break. A low growl escaped his throat.
The magic dug deeper, past skin, past bone, into something underneath. My heart felt like it was being squeezed. My lungs burned. Every nerve in my body screamed.
I wanted to pull away, to break free, but the spell held us locked together.
Cassian stumbled, his knees buckling. I felt myself falling too. We dropped to the floor at the same moment, still connected by that burning chain.
"Hold steady!" one of the Council members shouted. "The binding must complete!"
The pain intensified. I couldn't breathe. Black spots danced across my vision. This was it—I was going to die right here, burned alive by dark magic.
Then, just when I thought I couldn't take anymore, the spell released us.
The silver chain vanished in a flash of light. I collapsed forward, gasping for air that wouldn't come. My whole body shook.
Beside me, Cassian had fallen to his hands and knees, breathing hard. Sweat dripped from his face.
Slowly, painfully, I looked at my wrists.
The chain was gone, but marks remained—silver scars that glowed faintly, forming strange symbols I didn't recognize. They pulsed with each heartbeat.
Cassian lifted his wrists too. Identical scars. Identical symbols.
We were marked. Branded. Bound.
"It's done," Helena announced, sounding pleased. "You're connected now. The spell will hold until you retrieve the Heart of Aethermoor or until you're both dead. Whichever comes first."
I tried to stand, but my legs wouldn't hold me. Everything hurt.
Cassian managed to get to his feet first, swaying slightly. He looked down in my general direction. "Can you walk?"
I nodded, then remembered he couldn't see. I forced myself up, using the wall for support.
Helena circled us like a predator studying wounded prey. "You have thirty days to reach the Temple of Aethermoor and retrieve the relic. Supplies and horses are waiting outside the Citadel. I suggest you leave immediately—the clock has already started."
Thirty days. I felt sick.
"The temple is five days north, deep in the Whisperwood Forest," Helena continued. "Once inside, you'll face trials designed to test whether you're truly bound by fate. If you're not..." She smiled. "Well, let's just say the temple doesn't look kindly on frauds."
"And if we succeed?" Cassian asked, his voice rough.
"Then you bring the relic back here, the binding spell is broken, and you both get what you want. Freedom for her." Helena looked at me. "Gold for you."
She made it sound so simple. But nothing involving the Council was ever simple.
One of the Council members stepped forward, handing Cassian a rolled map. "The route is marked. Stay on the main roads until you reach the forest boundary. After that, you're on your own."
"What about supplies?" Cassian asked.
"Everything you need is with the horses. Food, water, weapons, camping gear. Enough for a month if you're careful."
"We'll need more than a month if things go wrong," Cassian said.
"Then don't let things go wrong." Helena's smile widened. "Oh, one more thing. The temple is guarded by creatures that feed on fear and doubt. So try not to think too hard about your failures and regrets." She looked directly at me. "That shouldn't be difficult for you, should it, pet?"
The familiar word made my stomach turn. I looked away.
"You're dismissed," Helena said, waving her hand. "The horses are at the south gate. And remember—one hundred feet. Don't test the distance limit unless you want to find out what dying feels like."
The Council members filed out one by one. Helena was the last to leave, pausing at the door.
"Good luck, Seraphina," she said sweetly. "Try not to disappoint me this time."
Then she was gone.
Silence filled the chamber. Just me and Cassian, two strangers bound together by a spell neither of us wanted.
I looked at him. He was staring at the floor, his jaw tight.
Finally, he spoke. "Can you fight?"
I grabbed the chalk from my pocket and wrote on the floor: YES.
He couldn't see it. Right. I stomped twice—yes.
"Can you ride a horse?"
I hesitated, then stomped once—no. Well, not in ten years.
Cassian sighed heavily. "Perfect. A mage who can't ride. This is going to be a disaster."
I wanted to argue, but he was probably right.
He turned toward the door. "Come on. Let's get the supplies and get out of here before I change my mind about this whole thing."
I followed him, the scars on my wrists burning with each step. They felt alive somehow, pulsing in rhythm with my heartbeat.
We walked through the empty halls of the Citadel, heading toward the south gate. Neither of us spoke. What was there to say?
When we reached the gate, two horses waited just like Helena promised. They were loaded with packs and supplies. A stable boy held their reins, looking nervous.
Cassian moved to the nearest horse, running his hands along its neck and flank. "Good build. Strong. They actually gave us decent horses."
The stable boy cleared his throat. "Um, sir? The Council says I'm supposed to tell you something."
"What?"
"They said... they said to remind you that the binding spell is permanent until the mission is complete. No exceptions. No loopholes. If you run, you both die. If you fight each other, you both die. If one dies, the other follows within minutes." The boy swallowed hard. "They wanted to make sure you understood."
"We understand," Cassian said coldly. "Now leave."
The boy practically ran away.
Cassian turned toward me. "Can you mount a horse by yourself?"
I moved to the other horse, grabbed the saddle, and tried to pull myself up. My arms shook—I was still weak from the binding spell. On the third try, I made it into the saddle, embarrassed and frustrated.
Cassian mounted his horse in one smooth motion, making it look effortless. Of course.
"Which way is north?" he asked.
I realized he was asking me. Because he couldn't see.
I guided my horse next to his and grabbed his reins, turning his horse to face north.
"Thanks," he muttered.
We rode through the gate and onto the dark road beyond. The Citadel disappeared behind us.
Thirty days. Five kingdoms. One cursed forest. One impossible mission.
And a partner I already couldn't stand.
The scars on my wrists pulsed steadily, reminding me with every heartbeat that I was no longer alone. For better or worse, my life was tied to Cassian Thorne's now.
I looked up at the night sky, at the stars I hadn't seen in months. Helena rarely let me outside.
For just a moment, despite everything, I felt something strange.
Hope.
Maybe this mission would kill us. Probably would.
But at least I'd die free.