The priestess glanced at him, her eyes flickering with recognition, then disdain. "Kael Dravenfell. I see you’ve chosen to align yourself with her." She nodded toward Mara.

"I align myself with what is right." His gaze was unwavering. "And you, of all people, should understand that."

The priestess let out a low, bitter laugh. "Right." She turned on her heel, her robes swishing as she walked away. "You’ll find that right and wrong blur very easily in times of war." She disappeared into the shadows again, leaving an icy silence in her wake.

Mara exhaled sharply, tension still coiling through her body. Aerin caught her gaze, offering a small nod of understanding, but before she could say anything, Kael’s voice broke the stillness.

Kael showed them all back to the ancient stone building at the heart of the island. Inside there was a large round table, much like the one in Mara’s apartment back in Yaveria. Fire crackled in the hearth, warmth seeping in through every corner of the room.

Kael cleared his throat as he gestured to the others to sit at the table, “My contact offered us to stay here for the night”.

Talon and Eldens each took a seat around the table. The shadows under Elden's eyes were deeper and darker and the darkness in his eyes unmistakable. He hadn’t spoken a word since they met with the priestess in the woods.

Talon leaned on his elbows, rubbing his hands over his face. His eyes darted to Mara who still stood by the entrance. Her face was still pale from before. “You know her?” Mara’s eyes narrowed at Kael.

Kael stood before the fire, the flickering flames casting shadows over his face, making his sharp features look even more haunted. The group sat around the round table, silent, waiting for him to speak. Aerin watched him carefully, her gaze drawn to the tension in his shoulders, the way his jaw clenched as if he were fighting an inner war.

He hadn’t said much about his visit here on the island, Thalindria. But tonight, the weight of everything felt like it was finally pushing him to open the door he had kept sealed for so long. Just like Mara.

Kael’s voice was low when he finally spoke, as if the words themselves were too heavy to lift. “I knew the priestess long before I ever returned to Yaveria,” he began, his eyes distant, staring into the fire but seeing something far beyond it. “After my father died, after everything collapsed, I was on the run. There were men—soldiers sent by the king, assassins... they hunted me down like I was some animal, a prize to be claimed.” He paused, his hands tightening into fists at his sides.

“They wanted me dead,” Kael continued, his voice rough with the memory. “I was barely more than a boy, and they chased me across the land like I was nothing.”

Aerin felt her heart clench as she listened, the thought of Kael, young and alone, hunted by those who sought to end his bloodline, was almost too much to bear.

“I fought them off as best as I could,” he said, his voice harder now, colder. “But every time I managed to escape, another one found me. It was endless. There were nights when I thought it would be easier to let them find me, to just let it end.”

Mara shifted beside Aerin, her eyes fixed on Kael, her expression unreadable.

“Then I met her,” Kael said, and there was something different in his voice now—something darker, more reverent. “The priestess.”

He said the name like it held weight, like the mere memory of her still lingered in his mind. The muscles of his jaw flickered.

“I was bleeding out from a fight,” he continued, “and I’d managed to get a boat, rowed all the way to this island, crawl into a cave, thinking it was my final resting place. But that’s where she found me.”

Aerin’s brows furrowed. “She found you? Out there?”

Kael nodded, his lips pressing into a thin line. “I don’t know how. She was just... there. One moment I was alone, and the next, she was standing over me. It was like she’d stepped out of the very shadows themselves.” He looked at Aerin, then at Mara. “She wasn’t like anyone I’d ever met before. Young, but not. Her eyes were ancient, as if they had seen the rise and fall of worlds. Her hair... silver, but glowing, like the roots of magic itself had found their way through her.”

His voice dropped to a whisper, as if the mere act of describing the priestess brought a chill into the room. “She saved me. Or rather, she... claimed me.”

Mara’s voice was quiet, almost hesitant. “Claimed?”

Kael’s eyes flicked to her, and his jaw tightened. “She said I owed her a debt. She healed my wounds, gave me shelter in that strange place she called home... but in return, I would have to serve her. And I did.”

“The debt she claimed,” Kael’s voice grew quieter, the edge of his words cutting sharper than the firelight flickering in his eyes. “It was never just about survival. She wanted more. Demanded more.” He swallowed, the memory clearly weighing heavy on him.

Talon’s hands tightened. “More?”

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Kael nodded, his jaw clenched, his eyes distant as if recalling something he’d rather forget. “She never said it outright, but the way she looked at me... like I was something she owned, something she was waiting to collect. I was just a boy, barely old enough to understand, but I could feel it—this... cloud of expectation, this dark thing always hanging over me.” His voice wavered, just slightly, before hardening again. “I avoided it. Every time. But I knew she was waiting, watching. And I knew what she wanted.”

Aerin felt a cold chill run through her. “Did she ever—?”

“No,” Kael said quickly, his voice tight, almost bitter. “I wouldn’t let her. But she made sure I knew what she expected, every single day I was in her presence. It was never spoken, never forced. But it was always there. Always... lurking.”

A silence fell between them, the weight of his unspoken past lingering like the thick, oppressive air after a storm. Aerin wanted to say something, anything to ease the pain she saw flicker behind his eyes, but no words came. The darkness of what had been left unsaid was more than enough to understand.

“For how long?”* Mara asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Kael hesitated, his eyes darkening. “Long enough to understand what kind of power she holds. She’s not... human, not fully. She’s something more, something older. Her magic feels like the darkest shadows. Whatever she wants, she takes.” He let out a harsh breath. “She trained me, in a way. Taught me how to survive, how to fight... and how to endure.”

Aerin's stomach churned. “Did she hurt you?”

Kael’s lips twitched into something that wasn’t quite a smile. “No. But she didn’t need to. The things she showed me, the things I saw while I was with her... they were enough to break most men.” His eyes met Aerin’s, a storm of emotions swirling behind them. “She knew what I wanted, what drove me. Revenge. And she fed that flame. Made sure it burned hot enough to keep me alive.”

Mara was silent for a long moment before she spoke again, her voice strained. “And now you’ve come back for vengeance, haven’t you? For them?”

Kael turned to Mara, and for the first time, his expression softened. “When I found out what they did to you...” His voice cracked, just for a second, and Aerin saw the pain in his eyes. “The people of Thalindria. The ones who used you, broke you. I heard of you. We were here on the island at the same time, but never crossed paths.” He shook his head, anger flashing across his face like lightning. “They will pay for what they did.”

Mara looked down, her hands trembling slightly in her lap. “Kael, it’s not... you can’t—”

“Yes, I can,” he interrupted, his voice sharp. “I don’t care what it takes, I don’t care how many bodies I have to take down. They will pay for what they did to you. To both of us.”

Aerin could feel the weight of his words settling into her bones. She could see it in his eyes—the darkness, the rage that had consumed him for so long. It was a part of him now, as much as his magic or his skill with a blade.

“But the priestess,” Mara whispered, her voice barely audible. “You owe her still, don’t you?”

Kael’s jaw clenched again. “I owe her nothing. Not anymore. I left her, broke free of whatever hold she thought she had on me. She’ll have to find someone else to do her bidding.”

Aerin stood and stepped closer to him, her voice soft but firm. “And what if she comes for you? For us? She knows why we are here”.

Kael’s gaze locked with hers, the intensity in his eyes making her heart race. “Then we fight.”

A small older woman appeared through a low entrance, high cheekbones that catched every flicker of light from the fire, long and brown hair hung over her shoulders. The air was still thick with tension from what Kael just told. “I have made some stew and potatoes for you”.

Everyone turned their heads towards her, not expecting her to be there. “I’m Alwan, a friend of Kael.” Her voice was high and sweet, her eyes dancing around as she took them all in. Her eyes met with Kael’s, there was a deep understanding between them. She had clearly heard when Kael spoke and it seemed like she had heard it before. He nodded at her as she put down the pot of stew on the table.

They all ate in silence, taking in what they had just heard. The priestess held such power, not only over the one’s she took in but all of Thalindria.

"Aerin, we need to talk." Kael’s eyes landed on Aerin, his tone was soft, but there was a weight to it that made her chest tighten.

She followed him away from the others, he led her to a room further down a narrow hall. The room was dark, only lit by a small candle by the bed. She din’t notice what else was in the room, all she could focus on was the man in front of her—Kael, the boy who had once been her closest friend, now standing before her as something more, something she didn’t know how to handle.

He stopped, turning to face her, his expression unreadable. For a long moment, neither of them spoke. The silence between them was thick, heavy with all the things they hadn’t said in years. The candle light only showed a fraction of his face.

"My contact, Alwan, has uncovered something." He spoke finally, his voice low, but it felt distant, like it belonged to someone else. "King Hazrael knows about us—about your magic, about your claim to the throne. He’s planning something. Something big."

Aerin’s heart pounded in her chest, her magic trying to find an outlet through her skin but she forced herself to focus. "What is it? What’s he planning?"

Kael hesitated, running a hand through his curls, frustration evident in the tightness of his jaw. "He’s found a way to use the Shadow Seekers to track you, Aerin. They’re not just hunting you—they’re drawing you in, forcing your hand. And if you try to take the throne before you’re ready, before you control your magic fully... he’ll crush you."

Aerin swallowed hard, the weight of his words settling over her like a suffocating blanket. "So what do we do?" Her voice was steady, but she could feel the tremble beneath it.

Kael stepped closer, only an arm’s reach away. "We go to Thalindria’s council. My allies there have information, but it won’t be easy. King Hazrael’s influence reaches even to the islands." He paused, looking out at the horizon. "We’re running out of time, Aerin."

She nodded, her mind racing. But then Kael stepped even closer, his voice softening, becoming something more personal, something raw. She could almost feel his breath touching her. His warmth clung to her like a cloak.

Kael whispered quietly, "I’m sorry."

The words hung in the air between them, and Aerin felt her heart clench painfully. Beating so fast against her chest, "Sorry for what?", her voice sounded out of breath. She knew the answer, but she needed to hear him say it.

"I am sorry… For leaving you. For not being there when you needed me most." His eyes were filled with regret, and it tore at her. "I should have come back. I should have fought for you. But I didn’t, and I can’t change that."

Aerin’s throat tightened, and she looked away, blinking back the sting of tears that filled her eyes. "You didn’t even say goodbye." Her voice was barely a whisper, but the pain in it was unmistakable. Tears left her eyes, slowing running down her cheeks.

He slowly reached out, gently taking her hand, his fingers rough but warm against hers. "I was a boy, Aerin. Scared. Lost. I didn’t know what to do." He squeezed her hand, his gaze never leaving hers. "But I’m here now. And I’m not leaving again. Not ever."

Aerin looked up at him, her head tilting, their eyes locking in a moment that felt both infinite and fragile. Her heart ached, torn between the love she still felt for him and the walls she had built around herself after everything she had been through.

"I don’t know if I can trust that." Her voice broke, and she hated how vulnerable she sounded.

"Then let me earn it." His voice was barely above a whisper, but the intensity in his eyes made her chest tighten. "I will spend the rest of my life earning it if I have to."

He reached up to her face, lightly brushing away the tears.

They stood there for what felt like an eternity, the world around them fading as they simply existed in that moment, in the unspoken connection that had always tied them together. Slowly, almost hesitantly, Aerin lifted her other hand, placing it over his. Their fingers intertwined, and for the first time in what felt like forever, she allowed herself to feel the weight of everything between them—the love, the loss, the hope.

"I’m with you, Aerin.”

Aerin closed her eyes, taking a deep breath, feeling the warmth of his hand in hers. "Then don’t let go."

He squeezed her hands once more. “Never."