Cassian's POV
The Empire army marches toward my city.
Five thousand soldiers. War machines. Mages who can level buildings with a thought.
And at the front, my former mentor. The man who taught me everything I know about war.
Commander Vex is coming to destroy me.
Because I chose her.
I look at Elara standing beside me on the palace walls. Her hands still glow faintly with power. Her eyes still burn silver. She's magnificent and terrifying and everything I've been searching for.
Worth it. She's worth everything.
How long do we have? she asks quietly.
An hour. Maybe less. I scan the approaching army. They'll surround the city first. Cut off escape routes. Then they'll demand surrender.
And when we refuse?
They'll attack. I meet her eyes. With everything they have.
She swallows hard. How many people are in the city?
Five thousand civilians. Eight hundred soldiers. I pause. Most will die in the first assault.
Because of me.
Because the Empire is brutal. I grip her shoulder. This isn't your fault.
Yes, it is. Her voice cracks. Vex said it himself. Surrender me or everyone dies.
I'm not surrendering you.
Cassian
No. I turn her to face me fully. Listen to me. The Empire doesn't negotiate. Even if I handed you over, they'd still take the city. They'd still kill everyone. The only difference is you'd be dead too.
Tears fill her eyes. So we just watch everyone die?
No. We fight. I look back at the approaching army. And we use every advantage we have.
What advantages? We're outnumbered six to one!
We have walls. Defenses. Home ground. I glance at her glowing hands. And we have you.
She shakes her head. I don't know how to control this power. I could hurt our own people
Then you'll learn. My voice is hard. Right now. Because in one hour, that army reaches our gates. And we need every weapon we have.
Darius runs up the stairs. General! Civilians are inside the inner walls. Soldiers are in position. But sir... He hesitates. The men are scared. They know the odds.
So am I. I look at my soldiers lining the walls. Young faces. Terrified faces. But fear means we're still alive. And as long as we're alive, we fight.
I walk along the wall, raising my voice so everyone can hear. The Empire thinks we'll break! They think we'll surrender! But they're wrong! I draw my sword, holding it high. This is OUR city! OUR home! And we will defend it with our last breath!
A cheer rises. Weak at first, then stronger.
It's not much. But it's something.
I return to Elara. Come with me. We need to test your power before the battle starts.
She follows me down to the training yard. Empty now, everyone at their posts.
Show me what you can do, I say.
She holds out her hands. Fire flickers to life in her palms. Gold and red, beautiful and deadly.
More, I order. Don't hold back.
She closes her eyes. The fire grows. Spreads. A wall of flame erupts from her hands, scorching the ground.
It's incredible. Terrifying.
Exactly what we need.
Can you control where it goes? I ask.
I think so. She moves her hands. The fire follows, bending to her will.
Good. What else can you do?
She concentrates. The fire fades, replaced by golden healing light. It washes over a wounded tree in the corner. The dead branches turn green. Leaves sprout.
Life and death in her hands.
You're not just powerful, I say quietly. You're a weapon and a savior combined.
I don't want to be either. Her hands tremble. I just want to save people.
You will. By stopping the Empire from burning this city. I step closer. Elara, I know you're scared. I know this isn't what you signed up for. But right now, you're the only thing standing between those civilians and total destruction.
She meets my eyes. What do you need me to do?
When they breach the walls and they will need you to hold the line. Use your fire to stop them from flooding in. Buy us time to regroup.
And if I lose control? If I hurt our people?
You won't. I say it with certainty I don't entirely feel. Because you're the woman who saves dying children. Who heals enemies? Who walked into death to protect others? I grip her hands. You won't hurt innocents. It's not in you.
Before she can respond, a horn blows.
The Empire has reached the gates.
We run back to the walls.
Commander Vex sits on his horse just outside arrow range. His golden armor gleams. His face is hard as stone.
He's older than I remember. Gray in his hair. Scars on his face.
But his eyes are the same. Cold. Calculating. Merciless.
CASSIAN THORNWYLD! His voice booms. WE TRAINED TOGETHER! FOUGHT TOGETHER! I TAUGHT YOU EVERYTHING!
I know, I call back.
THEN YOU KNOW THIS IS FUTILE! SURRENDER THE PRINCESS! SAVE YOUR MEN!
I look at Elara beside me. Then back at Vex.
NO!
Silence stretches across the field.
Then Vex draws his sword. SO BE IT. I GAVE YOU A CHANCE, BOY. NOW I'LL SHOW YOU WHAT HAPPENS TO TRAITORS!
He raises his sword high.
The Empire army roars.
War drums thunder.
And they charge.
Five thousand soldiers rushing toward eight hundred.
ARCHERS! I roar. FIRE!
Arrows darken the sky. They rain down on the charging army. Men fall. But not enough. Never enough.
They hit the walls with siege ladders. War machines roll forward, launching stones at our defenses.
The walls shake. Stone cracks.
HOLD THE LINE! Darius shouts.
Soldiers fight at the ramparts. Steel clashes. Men scream. Blood flows.
They're breaking through.
Too fast. Too many.
A section of wall crumbles. Empire soldiers pour through the breach.
ELARA! I shout. NOW!
She runs to the breach. Her hands raise. Fire explodes from her palms.
A wall of flame erupts in the gap, cutting off the invaders. Empire soldiers scream as they're engulfed.
It's working. She's holding them back.
But then I see it.
On the far side of the city. Another breach. Then another.
They're attacking from multiple sides. We can't defend everywhere.
Cassian! Elara's voice is panicked. I can't hold all of them!
She's right. The fire at one breach weakens as she tries to cover another.
We're losing.
And then I hear something that makes my blood freeze.
A roar. Inhuman. Terrible.
From beyond the battlefield, something massive moves. Tall as a building. Covered in armor. Eyes glowing with magic.
A war beast. The Empire's secret weapon.
What is that? Elara breathes.
Death, I whisper. They brought a war beast. It can tear through our walls like paper.
The beast charges. The ground shakes with each step.
Our arrows bounce off its armor. Our magic barely scratches it.
It hits the main gate with its full weight.
The gate explodes inward.
Empire soldiers flood through. Hundreds of them.
FALL BACK! I scream. EVERYONE TO THE INNER SANCTUM!
But as we retreat, I see Vex walking through the broken gate. Calm. Controlled. Unstoppable.
His eyes find mine across the chaos.
He smiles.
And I realize the horrible truth.
This was never about conquest.
It was always about punishment.
Vex doesn't want the city.
He wants to watch me lose everything.
Starting with her.
He points his sword directly at Elara.
BRING ME THE PRINCESS! he roars. ALIVE!
A dozen elite soldiers break from the main force. They charge straight for Elara, ignoring everyone else.
PROTECT HER! I scream, running to intercept.
But there are too many. Too fast.
One grabs Elara from behind. She blasts him with fire, but another tackles her. Then another.
They're overwhelming her.
ELARA!
I cut through soldiers trying to reach her. But I'm too far away.
She fights desperately. Fire explodes. Men burn.
But they keep coming.
Then one of them raises a syringe.
He plunges it into Elara's neck.
She screams. Her fire dies. Her eyes roll back.
She collapses.
NO! My roar echoes across the battlefield.
I reach her too late. The soldiers are dragging her away, toward Vex.
I kill one. Then another. But more surround me.
Vex watches from his horse, smiling.
LESSON ONE, BOY! he calls. NEVER LOVE ANYTHING MORE THAN VICTORY! IT MAKES YOU WEAK!
They're taking her. Taking Elara.
And I can't stop them.
Darius grabs my arm. General! We have to retreat! We're being slaughtered!
He's right. Bodies everywhere. My soldiers falling. The city burning.
We've lost.
Fall back, I whisper.
Sir?
FALL BACK! I scream it. SAVE WHO YOU CAN! RETREAT TO THE PALACE!
My soldiers run. Civilians flee. The city falls.
And Vex rides away with Elara unconscious in his soldiers' arms.
I stand in the ruins of my gate, covered in blood, watching them take her.
The woman I spent five years searching for.
The woman I chose over everything.
Gone.
Darius pulls me toward the palace. We'll get her back, General. We'll
How? I stare at the retreating army. They have five thousand soldiers. We have less than four hundred left alive. The city is lost. She's lost.
Then what do we do?
I watch until Elara disappears from sight.
Then I turn to Darius, my voice cold as death.
We do what I do best. I grip my sword. We hunt them down. We kill every last one. And we get her back.
That's suicide.
I know. I start walking toward the palace. Gather everyone still alive. We leave in one hour.
To go where?
I look back at the Empire army in the distance to war.