Chapter 49
Chapter Forty-Nine
C omplete darkness cloaked the sky, stars scattered across its vast expanse like paint splatters on black velvet.
I didn’t dare light a lantern until I was safely inside the forge—and even then, I only lit one. I felt bad enough for sneaking out of bed without Maalikai, leaving him in an involuntary stupor. If anyone else came looking for me, the glow would be a dead giveaway and this would all be for nothing.
I eased the heavy wooden door open, silently thanking the Gods it didn’t groan.
The forge smelled of soot and cinnamon—an odd mix, but fitting. The building next to the forge was where my father once baked bread. At dawn he baked and at dusk he forged weapons.
I used to think it was just a quirk. Now I wondered if it had been deliberate. A quiet rebellion. A backup plan. The bakery, the forge, the cellar lined with preserves—his way of making us self-sufficient. His way of keeping me safe, if it ever came to that.
And now it had.
The forge breathed with heat—the kind that seeped into your skin and made you forget the world outside. Emberlight danced across stone walls, flickering like forgotten memories.
I took a deep breath, then emptied my bag onto the stone table.
Red clay spilled out with a heavy thump—thick, wet, and glistening faintly in the firelight. I’d gathered it from the place I found Evie earlier today, dug from the blood-rich earth and wrapped in soaked cloth to keep it pliable.
I’d arrived at the forge before Evie on purpose. Because if I failed, I didn’t want an audience. And if something went wrong—if my magik snapped wild and uncontrollable—I needed her nowhere near the blast zone.
I split the clay in two with a slow, steady breath. This wasn’t like my past attempts—no reckless testing, no aimless flaring of power. This time, I had intent.
Purpose.
I wasn’t just calling the elements—I was commanding them.
I pressed my palms to the first lump, narrowing my focus to a single thread of power, and pulled. Earth magik surged up through my hands—slow and deliberate—drawn not by force, but by permission.
Power bled into my palms like molten stone. The clay began to shift—warping, coiling, reshaping—responding to the force of what I needed it to become.
Not just a mold.
A vessel.
A promise sealed in mud and magik.
Before my eyes, it formed into a perfect cylinder, except for an opening at the top where molten liquid could be poured in.
A clean, seamless line split the center—where the two halves would be torn open.
But not yet.
If I cracked it now, I’d ruin everything.
The truth of it would only reveal itself once the metal had been poured—after fire kissed it and water claimed it–molding, then tempering the precious blackened silver into rings: hardened, perfect, and forged in purpose.
Until then, it was a promise in waiting.
I turned to the second piece. My pulse thundered but I didn’t hesitate. Again, I summoned the earth. Again, it answered.
My fingers trembled—not with fear, but with anticipation. With power humming just beneath my skin, ready to be shaped into meaning.
The clay writhed, responding faster this time—like it recognized its twin. Like it remembered being shaped in my hands. When it stilled, a second cylinder rested before me.
Identical in shape. But not in purpose.
Because I knew what I’d carved into them.
Knew that no matter how similar they looked from the outside, what waited inside was wildly, irrevocably different.
One carved in fire.
The other in ash.
Both born from me.
Each one carried a piece of my soul. Of who they were to me. And when they finally held those rings in their hands—there’d be no question who they belonged to.
They were more than molds.
They were declarations.
Of what I felt.
Without question.
Without doubt.
They’d know they were mine.
I stood alone, sleeves rolled to my elbows, soot clinging to my hands. The silver bowl in front of me shimmered with molten metal—the remains of the bracelet my father had once given me. The one that used to sit on my left wrist, before everything fell apart.
A gift for Sebastian.
And one for Maalikai.
From brokenness, something new. Two rings. One heart torn down the middle.
Before I could start, the sound of the door creaked open behind me. I spun–catching Evie in the doorway.
“I wasn’t sure you’d actually show.”
She gave me a look–flat, disbelieving. “I’m the one who gave Maalikai the damn drink. I’m way too entangled in this mess to bail now.”
My smile twisted into something wicked. “Welcome to the dark side.”
“So, what do you want me to do?”
“Pull up a seat and watch a master at work.”
She rolled her eyes, but did as I said.
Red tinged the charcoal, glowing at the edges like smoldering wrath. Heat bled from the forge in slow, pulsing waves, the air thick with it—sweat beading on my forehead before I’d even stepped closer.
I added the rod of blackened silver to the crucible, plunging it deep into the coals. It hissed as it melted, swallowed by flame. I watched, transfixed, as the metal softened—then completely liquefied—until it shimmered like molten moonlight–then darkened, transforming into liquid onyx.
I steadied my grip on the tongs and tilted the crucible. Liquid silver poured into the mold like quicksilver, hissing as it met cold, solidified earth. My arms trembled from the strain, but I didn’t let go.
It had to be perfect.
I whispered to the ring. “Please let this work.”
This was the moment.
Where I discovered whether my power was strong enough to wield and shape something I couldn’t see—only feel through my magik.
Heat pulsed beneath my fingers as I pried the cast open. My magik sparked, wild and instinctive, as though recognizing what this was.
Who it was for.
Droplets of water splashed against my skin as I quenched it. Then I reached in–plucking it from the cold depths of the basin, still steaming, still alive. When I lifted it, the phoenix stared back—bold and defiant, like it had won. There was a fine crack at the base.
A flaw.
A scar.
Absolutely perfect.
“You’ll love this,” I murmured. “You idiot.”
It was rough around the edges—just like both of them—yet already beautiful.
I refined Sebastian’s ring, filing down the rough edges until the band was perfectly smooth–the phoenix rising from the ashes, so lifelike it looked ready to take flight. The wings flared upward, flames licking the base of the tail.
Sebastian had always reminded me of fire—reckless and radiant, dangerous in the way beautiful things often are. And somehow, always rising.
The split ruby made it even more meaningful–like the phoenix wasn’t just carved into flame, but forged from it. And now he could carry it with him. A reminder. A tether. A piece of me, etched into something indestructible.
Maalikai’s ring next.
I dropped another rod of blackened silver into the crucible and plunged it deep into the flames. The fire snarled around it, licking and biting until the metal surrendered—melting into a pool of molten silver, bright and furious.
This wasn’t just heat. It was transformation. Consecration.
I gripped the tongs tighter, every muscle straining for control.
Then I poured.
Slow. Measured. Terrified.
The silver flowed like liquid starlight, searing and sacred, hissing as it hit the cast I’d carved with magik and will alone.
This was no ordinary forge.
This was a crucible of power.
I waited, counting the seconds until I could be sure it had cooled. Or at least–cool enough to be set. Because let’s be honest–I didn’t have the patience of a Goddess.
Then, with a breath held tight in my chest, I reached for the cast. Fingers trembling, I began to pry open the mold—slow, careful—like I was unveiling something sacred.
A glint of onyx caught the firelight.
The first hint of what I’d created.
“Em?”
Startled, I turned too fast. “Evie?—”
She stepped around me at the same moment I tried to pry open the cast. Her elbow clipped my ribs, making me lose my grip. The cast—and the glowing ring inside—slipped from my hand.
The world slowed.
The ring fell.
I didn’t think. My hand darted out on instinct, catching the metal with my wrist.
Agony exploded through me as searing heat kissed flesh.
A scream ripped from my throat. I staggered backward, slamming my hand into the water barrel.
“Oh my goodness, Em! Are you okay?”
Tears blurred my vision—not from the pain, but from the fear.
“Is the ring okay? Did I ruin it?”
“That’s not important right now?—”
“It is to me,” I growled through gritted teeth. “Just tell me it’s okay.”
She swore, or the closest she came to swearing, which was merely a ‘damn it’.
“What do I do?”
“Use the tongs to pick up the ring then submerge it in the bucket of water.”
Her face crinkled into a look that said she couldn’t do this, however she didn’t falter. She snatched up the ring with the tongs, and dropped it into the quench cask. Then turned it over slowly, examining it.
“Well?”
“It’s fine.” She stepped closer, showing me. “Perfect, actually.”
I let out a breath that had been lodged in my chest for what felt like eternity. The black-silver wolf stared back at me, mouth raised to the crescent moon.
“Thank the Gods.”
“Now let’s look at you.”
“I’m sure it’s fine.”
The look she gave me said that she wasn’t going to take no as an answer, so I acquiesced.
Evidently, it was not fine.
The skin bubbled, red and angry, already blistering where the metal had kissed me.
“Oh my gosh, Em.” Evie’s voice came out at a whisper.
“It’s alright. I’ve got this.”
I drew a breath. I had to get this right.
No more failed attempts.
I could do this.
“You sure you don’t want me to get your mom?”
I shot her a glare. “Do you want us both exiled for eternity?”
She held up her hands in surrender. “If it means you’re healed properly, then yes.”
“The correct answer is no.”
“Seriously, I think we should get your mom.”
I took hold of her hand, claiming her gaze. “You said you wanted to be empowered, be in charge of your own destiny.”
“I do.” She breathed.
“Then this is where you begin. Take a leap. What’s the worst that’s going to happen?”
“You’ll be scarred for life.” She offered, which clearly was not helping.
“That’s something I can live with.”
I watched as she swallowed all the air around her, like it would somehow help us.
“Okay.”
My smile was instant. “That’s the spirit.”
I focused inward, drawing from the well of power buried beneath my skin. The healing magik was sluggish, like waking from a deep sleep, but it came. Water lifted in droplets, then swirled into a delicate sphere.
I guided it to the burn, shaping it over the raw flesh. Slowly, the blister dissolved. Pain dulled. The magik sank in and soothed the wound.
But when I pulled my hand away, Evie caught my wrist.
“Wait. Is that…?”
My stomach dropped.
A faint scar remained. Raised and pale. The mark of a wolf.
“You branded yourself,” Evie gasped.
“What?!”
“Oh my gosh, it looks just like Maalikai’s.”
Wait. What?
“How would you know what Maalikai’s birthmark looks like?” I spat out.
I’d only just learned what it looked like several days ago and that was only because he was lying naked on top of me.
If this was the moment she admitted that they’d been sleeping together, shit was about to get ugly.
“I may have watched you guys sparring.” Her eyes were shadowed with embarrassment.
My laugh was instant. “You were spying on us? On him?”
She shrugged, like admitting it would cinder her to ash. But honestly I couldn’t blame her. He was so Gods-damn irresistible and it was so much better than the alternative.
“I’m sorry.” Her apology was sincere.
That’s who Evie was; kindhearted, empathetic. I don’t think she would have it in her to harm a fly.
“It’s okay.” I laughed.
“Maybe Sebastian could brand himself with the wolf too, that way you would all be one big happy love triangle.”
Before I could help myself, I snorted. “Was that a joke?”
She merely shrugged. “Maybe Sebastian is rubbing off on me?”
It was bound to happen.
“Seriously though, how are you going to explain this?”
I sighed. “I don’t know. Maybe if I give them the rings before they see it…”
“Good luck with that.” Her lips quirked up into a teasing smile. I loved this version of Evie, happiness looked so good on her.
“I guess I should finish it then.”
With all the forging completed all I had to do was set the half piece of ruby. Which was the easy part.
I combined it all together—careful, precise, reverent.
The ruby caught the firelight, glowing like embers. The wolf— Maalikai’s wolf—howled in contrast. Beautiful. Balanced.
“It’s amazing,” Evie whispered. “He will love it!”
“I really hope so.”
A part of me still felt like this was a fantasy and at any moment I would snap out of it and wake up.
“Thank you for you help.”
“You mean with scarring you wrist?”
A carefree laugh escaped me. “Honestly, I think it’s growing on me.”
“Then you’re very welcome.” She pulled me into a hug, squeezing like she didn’t want to let go and I let her hold me as I squeezed her back with just as much enthusiasm. “But seriously… how are you doing?”
“I’ll live.”
She arched a perfect brow. “You’re a disaster.”
“And yet, somehow still alive.”
“Barely.” She snorted
I rolled my eyes and slipped Sebastian’s ring on my necklace and pocketed Maalikai’s. “You ready to get out of here?”
‘Yeh.” But something in the way she hesitated made me feel like she was lying.
“Evie, what’s up.”
A sigh left her, like she carried the weight of the world. “I just can’t sleep.”
Well that was an easy fix.
“You want to raid the cupboards, have a slumber party?”
“You’d do that, with me?”
At one point, Evie and I had been thick as thieves. It actually wasn’t that long ago that Sebastian, Evie and I would have slumber parties, raiding the cupboards and staying up until the sun crested the earth. These last couple of days had allowed that relationship to heal, to thrive. And this time I wasn’t going to let it go.
No matter the consequences.
“Of course.” A wicked smile tipped up my lips. “Besides, you’d be way more fun than the passed-out guy in my bed right now.” Her shock hit hard–and Gods, it was so worth it.
“We would be breaking more rules. ” The smile that accompanied her words left me with the impression that she had started enjoying being a rule breaker.
And I couldn’t blame her. It was a lot more fun on this side of the law.
“When have I ever been afraid to break the rules? The more the merrier, I say.”
Her eyes softened, like this meant more than she could ever express. Before she broke down in front of me, I wrapped her in a hug.
“Anytime you need. Regardless of the rules, I’ve got your back.”
Her arms tightened around me, like it was the only thing holding her together. “I’ve missed every second without you, Emmie.”
My heart didn’t just crack. It split–clean and silent–like something I’d been holding together too long.
The words weren’t meant to destroy me.
But they did anyway.
“Never again, V.” I said, barely breathing. “I’ll never lose you again.”
A promise.
A vow.