Chapter 21 Hearts of Iron
HEARTS OF IRON
Elwen led the way. Uther walked on her other side, and two guards flanked us, making it clear this wasn’t a casual stroll.
The grounds spilled out like a living tapestry.
Towering evergreens wrapped in silver moss.
Wildflowers sprouted in tangled clusters—deep violet foxglove, firebells, blood-red columbine.
Rheya would’ve loved these. She’d press flowers between book pages, saving them like treasures, then dry them for her strange teas.
“Where are we going?” I asked, keeping my voice neutral.
She glanced back. “The warcamps.”
“To prove you exist,” Uther added. “Before the clans decide you’re a myth.”
Elwen didn’t walk like courtiers in Skalgard. She moved with purposeful strides, straight-backed, and wore a simple gown. So she was a royal who didn’t need jewels or elaborate embroidery. Interesting.
This fae had held a kingdom together while her brother rotted in chains. Had likely made life-or-death decisions daily. Had commanded armies, negotiated treaties, executed traitors.
I counted guards as we descended, mapping possible routes. The trees parted. A clearing opened up—pavilions dotted the ground like a patchwork quilt, smoke from campfires curling upward in lazy spirals.
A group of warriors looked up, their conversations dying.
“They’re staring,” I muttered.
“Mountain Clan’s lost the most people to Skaldir raids,” Elwen said quietly. “They see you as their chance for vengeance.”
“They want war?”
“They’ve been sharpening their blades for a century. Now that the peace treaty’s broken, they finally get to use them.”
We crossed into the camp. Smithies hammered, sparks flying. Younger fae drilled in pits.
I licked my lips. “This could escalate quickly, all these warriors ready to fight.”
“It already has,” Elwen murmured. “Vaeris has been sending envoys. He’s building alliances, painting my brother as the aggressor.”
“Is it working?”
“Partially. Thalir’s king is cautious. Lunir’s staying neutral. But Caelir.” She shook her head. “They’ve always hated Sanguir. They’ll side with Vaeris just to see us bleed.”
I moved past two females sparring. “So it’s going to be war.”
“Unless Kairos finds another way. Which he won’t.”
“Why not?”
She shot me a knowing look. “Because he’s spent the last hundred years fantasizing about revenge.”
“Couldn’t he marry into another realm? Make an alliance?”
Uther laughed. “The last thing he wants is another binding contract.”
Elwen’s smile tightened. “If my brother married, he’d need a girl who understands what ruling this realm actually costs. A leader who won’t flinch when hard choices have to be made.”
“So what does your court want in a queen?”
“Strength. If he marries, it’ll be to a woman with a heart of iron, not silk.”
We roamed the camp. The deeper we walked, the more exposed I felt. The warriors wore pieces of scavenged steel strapped over leather and fur. Tanned skin with tattooed runes covered their forearms.
We passed a row of tents where soldiers played a game of dice. A male glanced up, his eyes brightening as they locked on mine. He nudged the fae beside him.
“This is all one clan?” I muttered.
“Two.” She nodded at a dark green banner flapping above us. “Mountain and Forest.”
Rain misted a field where warriors sparred.
Kairos fought in the middle, sleeves rolled to his elbows.
Muscles flexed beneath pale, sweat-slicked skin.
His broadsword cut through fog, blocking and parrying the blows of the three circling him.
I shouldn't have tracked the way his body moved—fluid, brutal, beautiful.
One lunged for his neck.
I gripped the fence, knuckles white. The blade came so close.
Kairos sidestepped. His elbow slammed into the fae’s face, sending him sprawling. Another charged. Kairos pivoted, steel screeching as he caught the axe’s edge. The female swung low. He blocked.
Then his eyes found me.
He froze.
The world did, too. His chest heaved, his gaze dragging over me like he needed to memorize every detail. My skin prickled everywhere his eyes landed.
Behind him, a sparring fae charged.
Snarling, Kairos threw out his hand. The male fell, screaming, clutching his head as blood spilled from his nose.
“Shit,” Uther muttered, vaulting the fence.
Elwen swore. “Kairos.”
The other warriors stepped back, their weapons lowered. Kairos stood over the fallen fae. Crimson mist writhed around him.
“Damn it!” Elwen dropped to the injured fae, pressing her palms to his temples. “You’re going to kill someone!”
The warrior groaned, his blood flow slowing as she worked.
Kairos turned, his gaze cutting into me. “Why did you bring her here?”
Uther frowned. “We wanted to talk.”
“You think I can afford distractions right now?” he thundered.
I’m a distraction?
“We need a word,” Uther ground out. “In private.”
Kairos’s attention flicked to me, like he couldn’t help himself. Then he jammed his sword into the weapons rack and stalked toward the covered barracks. My pulse raced from the look he’d given me. Irritation? Confusion laced with desire?
Elwen and I followed Uther into the barracks.
The inside was warmer, dimly lit by rune-lamps that hovered above a long table. Kairos sank into a seat, frowning when I took the chair beside Elwen. His eyes tracked the movement, darkening.
I met his stare.
Uther kicked out a leg casually. “The soldiers are whispering. You brought a human into the heart of Sanguir and carried her here like some battle prize. What is she?”
“This isn’t the time,” Kairos growled.
Uther’s grin faded. “When is? You’ve barely spoken to the clan heads. Won’t meet with the council. You just brood and train.”
“He’s your war chief,” Elwen said patiently. “He needs to know what we’re facing.”
Kairos shot her a look. “Elle.”
“They deserve to know why they’re preparing to die.”
The mist around Kairos coiled tighter. Finally, he let out a rough exhale. “A century in chains teaches you to stop hoping. You accept that freedom is a dream.” Kairos raked his fingers through his hair. “I stopped being anything except the blade in Vaeron’s hand.”
Elwen’s eyes shimmered with unshed tears.
“And then something unthinkable happened. Something I’d never witnessed in all my centuries of existence. Runes started breaking.”
Uther straightened. “Breaking?”
Kairos nodded. “Failing was the word they used, but noble homes were losing family heirlooms that should’ve been impossible to steal. Priceless artifacts were appearing in human markets. Which was…interesting.”
Uther grinned. “Someone was robbing the fae blind.”
“And walking through runes like they didn’t exist.” Kairos’s eyes glittered. “Vaeron was paranoid. He ordered an investigation.”
Uther crossed his arms. “So he sent you.”
“His chained dog. He thought I had no will of my own.” Kairos bent his head at me. “Then one night, I saw her. Running from a manor, bag full of stolen goods.”
Uther leaned forward. “Then what?”
Kairos’s hands flexed. “I let her run. Lied to Vaeron. Hid what she did. Because if this girl had learned a way around runes, maybe she could break my deal.”
My heart slammed against my ribs. “Wait. You lied to the king?”
His eyes met mine. “Yes.”
He’d done that for his freedom—but still, he’d risked everything to hide me. Something tight and uncomfortable lodged in my chest.
“So…when Henrik tried to read my mind, the light broke. Was that you?”
His mouth thinned. “I didn’t want you captured.”
Elwen pressed two fingers to her lips.
“They got her anyway.” Kairos grimaced. “Vaeron sentenced her to die at my hand.”
“Fuck,” Uther swore. “Then what?”
“I dragged her to the block. Showed her the rune on my gauntlet, hoping she’d understand.” He rubbed his face, his expression pinched. “We were in front of the king, the entire court was watching.”
He pointed at his wrist. “And then she touched the gauntlet. I felt her manipulating the rune. Snapping what bound my limbs, and suddenly, I was free.”
Elwen’s eyes widened.
“Then I killed them all. Vaeron. His queen. Every noble and cleric. I didn’t stop until the throne room was drowning in blood.”
“Leaving Vaeris free to take the throne.” Uther leaned back, whistling low. “What happened next?”
Kairos gestured at me. “Took her with me, and we fled Skalgard.”
“A human who can break runes.” Uther shook his head. “Binding magic that controlled one of the most powerful fae alive. You realize how that sounds?”
“I know.”
Uther’s gaze cut to me. “No offense, love, but I need to see it for myself.”
He reached into a small pouch and pulled out a leather shackle. A rune glowed on its surface as he set it on the table.
“We use them to restrain enemies. They’re strong enough to hold a Sanguir warrior. Break this, and I’ll believe you.”
The shackle’s rune pulsed with a sickly orange hue.
“Go on,” Uther said softly. “Prove it.”
My scars ached just looking at it. I picked up the cuffs. The rune burned against my palm. I found the weak point where the threads twisted and yanked.
The rune shattered, leaving scorched marks on the wood. I dropped the ruined fabric, cradling my hand.
“Holy shit.” He gaped at the smoking scrap of leather, then stared at me like I’d sprouted horns. “How—why?”
Kairos stood, prowling around the table. Then he crouched in front of me. “Show me your hands.”
I balled my fists. “No.”
His glare pinned me to the chair.
A shiver of panic raced up my spine, but there was nowhere to run. My stomach clenched tight as he hovered closer, those freakish white wisps coiling my wrists. Slowly, they tightened, delivering me into Kairos’s hands.
My breathing shallowed as he grabbed me, heat crawling up my arm and into my chest. He turned my palms to the light.
Frowning, he studied them. “Lots of scars.”
Elwen glanced over. “They’re too old to heal.”
“You’ve been doing this since you were a child,” he whispered, his thumb tracing a scar. “Haven’t you?”
I tried to pull away, but he held on.