Aria's POV
The guards burst through the entrance with weapons drawn.
Five of them. Council Guards in silver armor, led by a scarred woman I didn't recognize. Not Commander Thorne someone worse, judging by the cold calculation in her eyes.
Secure the tomb! she barked. Find whoever disturbed the seal!
I pressed against the sarcophagus, trying to become invisible. My heart hammered so loud they'd hear it.
Kael's hand covered mine. His touch was solid now, real, but when I looked at him properly, my stomach dropped.
He was translucent. Barely visible. The guards walked past him without even noticing.
They can't see me, he whispered directly into my mind.
I nearly screamed. His voice was inside my head.
The bond allows mental communication, he explained quickly. Now listen carefully. When I say move, grab the sword from the guard on your left.
Are you insane? I can't fight five trained guards!
You won't be fighting alone.
Before I could argue, one guard spotted me.
There! By the king's tomb!
They rushed forward. The lead guard raised her blade.
NOW! Kael's voice thundered in my skull.
My body moved before my brain caught up. I dove left, grabbed the closest guard's sword right out of his shocked hands, and rolled away.
The weapon felt perfect in my grip. Too perfect. Like I'd been training with swords my whole life instead of just knives.
That's me, Kael said in my mind. My combat knowledge flowing through our bond. Now DUCK!
I dropped. A blade whistled over my head.
Left arm up! Block!
I raised my arm. The sword met another blade with a screech of metal. The impact should have broken my arm, but I held firm.
Good! Now strike low, sweep the legs!
I moved like a puppet with an expert pulling my strings. My blade swept out. The guard fell hard.
But this was still five against one. They circled me, coordinating their attacks.
You're going to die, exile scum, the lead guard snarled. Should've stayed buried in the waste where you belong.
Rage exploded through me. The same rage that had kept me alive for three months. That had turned me from soft Beta daughter into something that killed to survive.
Blue light sparked around my hands.
Yes! Kael's voice was excited. Your power is responding! Let it flow. Don't fight it!
I don't know how!
Feel the pressure in your chest? That's your Alpha nature. Channel it through the bond mark. Through me!
The guards attacked as one.
I closed my eyes and let instinct take over.
Power erupted from the bond mark over my heart. Blue and gold light exploded outward in a wave that sent all five guards flying backward. They hit the stone walls hard enough to crack bone.
I stared at my glowing hands in shock. What
No time! Kael materialized beside me, more solid than before. Our combined power had strengthened him. More are coming. I can hear them outside.
How many?
Twenty. Maybe more. His face was grim. The Council sent a full retrieval team. They want whoever awakened this tomb dead or captured.
My stomach dropped. I can't fight twenty guards!
No. But we can run. He grabbed my hand. There's a back passage. Come on!
He pulled me toward the rear of the crypt. His form flickered with each step, growing more translucent the further we went.
You're fading again!
Distance weakens me. We need to stay close. He pressed his free hand against the wall. Blue runes flared to life. Here. This passage leads to the old tunnel system beneath the Forsaken Lands.
The wall cracked open, revealing darkness.
Shouts echoed from the entrance. More guards pouring in.
Go! Kael shoved me into the passage.
I stumbled into pitch blackness. Behind me, the wall sealed shut. The sounds of guards cut off abruptly.
Kael? I called into the darkness.
A faint glow appeared. Him, barely visible, his form flickering like a dying candle.
I'm here. Keep moving. They'll break through that seal in minutes.
I ran blindly through tunnels I couldn't see, one hand trailing the wall, the other stretched toward Kael's fading light. The bond mark over my heart pulsed, hot and urgent.
Left! he called. No, your other left!
I veered right and nearly fell down what felt like stairs.
Behind us, an explosion. The seal breaking. Shouts and footsteps echoing.
They're coming! I gasped.
Faster!
My lungs burned. My legs screamed. But I kept running.
We burst out of the tunnels into open wasteland. Rain still poured from the storm. Lightning cracked the sky.
There! Kael pointed to ruins in the distance. We can hide there!
I ran. Didn't look back. Just ran toward those ruins with everything I had.
An arrow whistled past my ear.
They're shooting at me!
Keep going! Almost there!
We crashed into the ruins—ancient stone buildings half-collapsed and overgrown. I dove behind a crumbling wall just as more arrows struck where I'd been standing.
Kael materialized beside me, gasping. His form was so translucent I could see through him to the wall beyond.
You're disappearing! I grabbed his hand. He became slightly more solid, but not much.
Used too much power helping you fight. I'm fading. His voice was getting quieter. Need time to recover.
How much time?
Hours. Maybe a day. His golden eyes met mine. You'll have to survive without me until I regenerate.
No! You can't leave me now!
Not a choice. His form flickered violently. The bond will keep me tethered to you, but I'll be dormant. Unconscious.
Guards' shouts were getting closer.
Kael's hand cupped my face. I could barely feel it. Listen. Your power is awake now. You accessed it during the fight. Remember that feeling. Trust your instincts.
I don't know how to use it!
You killed three rogues with just a knife. You survived three months in hell. You're stronger than you think. His form was dissolving. Find shelter. Stay hidden. I'll come back to you.
Kael
One more thing. His voice was fading. The bond works both ways. If you die, I die. So don't die. That's an order.
Then he was gone.
The warmth of his presence vanished. The bond mark over my heart went cold and dark.
I was alone.
Completely, terrifyingly alone.
Footsteps crunched on gravel. Close. Too close.
I pressed against the wall, gripping my stolen sword. Twenty guards against one exhausted exile with barely controlled power.
I was going to die.
Then I heard a familiar voice.
Ari? ARIA!
Raven.
She appeared around the corner, soaking wet, looking frantic. When she saw me, relief flooded her face.
Thank the spirits! I've been searching everywhere! What happened? I saw the explosion of light and then guards everywhere and— She stopped. Stared at the glowing mark on my chest visible through my torn clothes. What is that?
Long story. We need to move.
Found her! A guard stepped into the ruins behind Raven.
Before I could react, he grabbed Raven and put a knife to her throat.
Drop the sword, exile. Or your friend dies.
My sword clattered to the ground.
More guards emerged from the shadows. Surrounding us. Weapons pointed.
The lead guard from earlier stepped forward, blood dripping from where she'd hit the wall. Her smile was vicious.
Aria Silverthorn. Or should I say, Aria of no pack? You're under arrest for disturbing a Council tomb and practicing forbidden magic.
I didn't practice anything! I just
Silence. She nodded to her soldiers. Bind her. Supreme Councilor Matthias wants her alive. He has questions about how she activated the seal.
Guards grabbed my arms. Silver chains burned against my skin. I tried to call my power, but nothing happened. The blue light wouldn't come.
Kael! I screamed in my mind. Kael, I need you!
Nothing. Just cold emptiness where his presence should be.
They dragged me away from the ruins. Raven struggled against her captor, screaming my name.
Don't hurt her! I begged. She had nothing to do with this!
That's not for me to decide. The lead guard smiled cruelly. The Council will question you both. If you're lucky, they'll execute you quickly. If not... She leaned close. They'll find out exactly what you are and why the tomb responded to you. Then they'll cut that knowledge out of you piece by piece.
They threw me into a metal cage on wheels—a prisoner transport.
Through the bars, I watched the Moonfall Crypt grow distant. The place where I'd found Kael. Where I'd formed a bond that was supposed to save me.
Now he was gone. Dormant. Unconscious.
And I was being dragged back to the Alpha Citadel. Back to Matthias. Back to the people who'd tried to kill me once and would definitely finish the job this time.
The bond mark over my heart pulsed once. Weak. Distant. But there.
Kael was still connected to me. Still alive. Somewhere in that in-between state, he could probably feel what was happening.
Feel me being captured.
Feel me being dragged to our mutual enemy.
The transport lurched forward, carrying me toward execution or worse.
I pressed my hand against the bond mark and sent one desperate thought into the void:
Don't take too long to wake up. Because if they kill me, we both die. And our revenge dies with us.
No answer. Just cold silence.
The storm raged overhead as they carried me home to the place that had thrown me away.
Except this time, I wasn't powerless.
This time, I had power I barely understood and a dead king sleeping in my soul.
The question was: would it be enough?