Chapter Thirty-Five
I never wanted to fall in love.
Falling in love means being vulnerable. Of no longer being just one, but instead, becoming two.
And it’s hard to not lose oneself in the becoming of two.
But the real problem is when you are suddenly stripped of the one person you chose to be vulnerable to.
You shredded every layer of yourself, and you were made to believe that you were enough.
And then, just like that, it all falls apart.
The one person you thought that had seen your vulnerability and had loved you anyway, is the very person that turns around and walks away.
Leaves you alone with that vulnerability.
Leaves you alone in a world that wishes to crush you.
They promised to be the shield that would protect you.
And yet they became the very blade that stabbed you.
Tabitha Wysteria
Dawn followed the procession back towards the mountains, the path narrowing until they slipped through jagged openings in the rock like wounds carved into stone.
She halted at the threshold, her feet rooted to the sand, staring into the tight, lightless passage beyond.
The darkness yawned before her, close and suffocating, and every instinct urged her not to enter.
Kai reached for her hand and gave a sharp tug, but she wrenched herself free, teeth clenched.
‘Not scared, are you?’ he teased, nodding towards the passage. Alina and Mareena had already disappeared inside with the king, while several Dunayans lingered behind, waiting for Dawn and Kai to move. ‘You’re holding up the queue.’
‘You are not funny.’
‘That’s odd. I was always told I was the funny sibling.’
Dawn shoved past him and glanced up at the towering mountain above, its vast shadow pressing down on them. ‘What if it collapses?’ she muttered. ‘What if it all comes crashing down on us?’
Kai leaned in close, his breath brushing her ear, warm and maddening. ‘Then you’ll use your magic and save us.’
She shot him a glare. ‘Don’t be ridiculous. I’m not powerful enough to stop a mountain from falling.’ She glanced back, making sure the Dunayans hadn’t overheard, then jabbed her elbow into his ribs. Kai grunted, and she smiled despite herself.
‘I think you might be,’ he said softly, amusement threaded with something far more serious.
Dawn narrowed her eyes. ‘Do not think I won’t shrink your genitals, commander.’
‘You wouldn’t dare.’ Kai stuck his tongue out, utterly unrepentant. ‘How would you enjoy them then?’
She felt heat creep up her cheeks, but she straightened her spine and lifted her chin. ‘I haven’t had the pleasure yet.’
‘And you never will if you shrink them,’ he said lightly, winking. ‘That would be a tragedy. I’ve been told on many occasions that they’re rather lovely to hold.’
Dawn opened her mouth to fire back something vicious, but the two Dunayans behind them cleared their throats, patience clearly worn thin. With a sigh, Kai caught her hand again and gestured towards the narrow opening with his free one.
‘After you.’
She shot him a glare but shook her head.
‘Who knew something so simple could frighten you?’
Her jaw clenched. Oh, how badly she wanted to wipe the amusement off his face. Instead, she ducked into the passage, the walls closing in so tightly her shoulders nearly brushed the stone. She did not let go of Kai’s hand, no matter how loudly her pride protested.
‘For your information,’ she muttered, forcing her thoughts elsewhere, ‘being wary of something dangerous is perfectly natural.’
‘Is it?’ Kai replied easily from behind her. ‘I wouldn’t know. Nothing scares me.’
Dawn scoffed, rolling her eyes. She couldn’t see him, but she could feel his presence at her back, steady and warm. His grip tightened around her fingers, and she wasn’t sure whether it was instinct or concern that made him do it.
‘You are utterly ridiculous, commander.’
He laughed softly. ‘I know. But it’s working, isn’t it? The distraction.’
She was just realising that he was right when the passage suddenly opened into a cavern so vast it stole the breath from her lungs.
Warm light glowed across tiered levels carved into the rock, bridges spanning open air and leading to rooms and hidden spaces.
At the centre, a group of women sat with woven baskets, sorting spices and herbs while children darted between them, laughter echoing gently against the stone.
The king turned back towards the small gathering.
Alina glanced over her shoulder, her gaze briefly sweeping across them before settling on Dawn’s hand, still entwined with Kai’s.
Dawn released him at once, fumbling awkwardly and scratching at her hip as though an itch had suddenly claimed her attention. Kai merely smiled, entirely unbothered.
It took only moments for the space to close in on them.
Dunayans emerged from every direction, swift and silent, until the group stood encircled.
Dawn could still hear the dragons roaring somewhere beyond the mountain walls, their cries echoing faintly through stone.
Terrifying as they were, she found herself wishing she were back outside with them. Here, the air felt heavier. Too still.
White eyes stared at her from behind veils and wrappings, unblinking, assessing.
‘Traitara!’ one of the Dunayans hissed.
Dawn had no idea what the word meant, but she felt its weight settle uncomfortably in her chest. Isla and Arena moved forward at once, shoulders squared, but before either could speak, the king raised his hand. The cavern fell into silence.
‘I will have a private meeting with Alina Acheron,’ he declared, his voice carrying effortlessly through the space. ‘As well as the two Dunayans who followed her across the desert.’
Alina did not hesitate. ‘Mareena Noor must accompany me.’
The king’s pale eyes lingered on the phoenixian princess for a long moment, measuring and weighing. Then he gave a single nod.
Kai stepped forward and Dawn moved with him, instinctive and simultaneous, as though some invisible thread bound their limbs together.
It was ridiculous, she knew that. They were not attached.
And yet, she would not be left behind. Not now.
Not here. She felt the Dunayans’ glares sharpen, white eyes narrowing as they weighed the two of them, measuring threat and worth in the same breath.
‘Only with the two princesses,’ the king said, casting Kai a look sharp enough to cut before turning away. There was no room for argument in his tone. He murmured something to one of the Dunayans, who nodded and moved swiftly towards the king’s advisor.
The advisor waited until the king had gone, Alina and Mareena escorted after him, with Isla and Arena following close behind. Then he turned his attention to Kai and Dawn, two Dunayans stepping neatly into place at his sides.
‘Do you drink tea?’ he asked, as though this were an ordinary meeting and not a quiet interrogation wrapped in courtesy. He gestured towards an open arch veiled with curtains, the space beyond offering the illusion of privacy.
Dawn opened her mouth to answer, but the decision was made for her. Gentle but firm hands guided her forward, and she found herself moving whether she wished to or not.
Kai and Dawn were seated on brown cushions across a low stone table, the coolness of the cavern seeping into their bones.
The king’s advisor settled opposite them with practised ease.
One of the Dunayans followed inside and began preparing the tea, movements precise and reverent, as though the ritual itself carried weight.
Dawn folded her hands in her lap and breathed slowly.
Whatever this was, it was not just tea.
‘My name is Ramil Al-Qarar,’ the advisor said at last, his voice calm and measured, as though he had been waiting for the silence to settle properly before breaking it.
‘Kai Blackburn,’ Kai replied easily, then hesitated and turned to Dawn. She opened her mouth, uncertainty flickering through her for a heartbeat before he finished for her. ‘And this is… Dawn.’
Ramil inclined his head in acknowledgment.
Once the tea was poured, he thanked the Dunayan with a quiet murmur and took a long, unhurried sip.
The silence that followed stretched thin and taut, like a wire pulled too tight.
Dawn leaned back against the cushions, her attention drifting towards the curtain as though she might peer through it and glimpse something, anything, beyond stone and shadow.
Restlessness prickled beneath her skin. Being buried beneath a mountain made her chest feel tight, her breath shallow. The last time she had been trapped like this, she had been alone, broken, and helpless.
‘I need air,’ Dawn said suddenly, pushing to her feet and turning towards the curtain.
A Dunayan stepped smoothly into her path.
Dawn halted, every instinct flaring. For a fleeting moment she wondered how much damage it would cause if she turned the woman into stone.
Slowly, deliberately, she turned back instead, cocking her head at the king’s advisor, who had not moved from his seat.
‘You cannot wander,’ Ramil said evenly.
‘Not planning to,’ she replied, her tone sharp. ‘I want to step outside.’
‘I’m afraid—’
‘I’d allow her some fresh air if I were you,’ Kai cut in, slapping his hands against his knees before standing. ‘Trust me. I’ve travelled all over with her, and she can be incredibly annoying.’
Dawn shot him a glare sharp enough to draw blood.
Ramil studied them both in silence, his pale eyes thoughtful. Then he sighed and gestured for the Dunayan to lead them upwards, towards the roof.
Dawn fixed the king’s advisor with a long, unimpressed look. She then turned that same look on Kai before pivoting on her heel and following the Dunayan out, the weight of stone lifting ever so slightly with each step she took away from the table.