Chapter 6 #2
“Always so rough.” He smirked, brushing at his sleeves like he wasn’t covered in rock dust and dried blood.
Mira rounded the corner.
“Rynna?” Her voice caught, then steadied. “And Kaelith. What are you doing out at this—” She stopped short, eyes narrowing on Rynna.
“Ben. Inside. Now.”
Only then did Rynna see the boy, small and sleepy, trailing Mira’s steps.
“Momma?” He rubbed at his face, eyes barely open.
“Go inside and prepare for bed.” Mira’s tone left no room for argument as she angled her body between her son and Rynna like a shield. Her arm extended slightly, not touching the boy but guiding him all the same.
“Yes, Momma.” Ben yawned and shuffled backward.
He disappeared behind the thick wooden door as light flickered to life beneath the threshold.
Rynna bit down on her tongue. She didn’t move. Didn’t twitch. Not with Mira’s back turned. The last thing she needed was to make the wrong move and get flash-fried for the trouble. She was already skating on thin ice after the whole “Not entirely human” reveal.
Mira’s fists clenched at her sides as her shoulders rolled back, spine straightening. Then she inhaled through her nose and turned slowly to face them.
“Explain.”
Rynna swallowed hard. That was…better than Tell me why I shouldn’t reduce you to ash.
She opened her mouth—
“Explain why either of you should be permitted to see the dawn.”
Shit.
Rynna backed up a half-step, palms slightly raised in peace, but Mira wasn’t finished.
“Explain,” she continued, voice low, “why—after the hospitality we’ve shown you, after swearing you’d abide by the rules: stay inside the village walls, don’t touch the Source, and—I assumed it went without saying—don’t murder anyone—” she hissed as fire pressed beneath her skin, seething under the surface.
“You show up, on Five-day, at my home, where both I and my son sleep, covered in blood and reeking of Source power!”
“The Source?” Rynna’s head snapped toward Kaelith, eyes wide. “Did you—?”
Kaelith didn’t look at her.
His focus stayed locked on Mira, even as the glow flared hotter in the woman’s palms, red pulsing at the edges of her fingers.
“We were attacked.” His voice held none of the lazy flirtation from earlier. “There was a rockslide. I reacted on instinct. My body isn’t healed enough for that kind of movement unaided.”
He dipped his head once.
“Once we were clear, Rynna handled the threat. She did not use the Source. Any fault lies with me.”
“Attacked?” Mira’s eyes narrowed.
“Yes, Warden.” Another controlled dip of his head.
Rynna’s stomach churned. Why is he protecting me…again?
“You should not have been out at all.” Mira stepped forward, question implied.
“I sensed a flicker of the Source,” Kaelith said. “Faint. But distinct. I thought it might be a member of my unit.”
“And you sought escape.”
“No, Warden.” He shifted, just slightly—an inch forward, a quiet step between Rynna and the other woman.
“I meant to intercept them. To ensure they never got close enough to glimpse the village.” He glanced down, the corner of his mouth twitching.
“Didn’t want to burden you with a second despicable Hollow-born. ”
It was a lie. Every word of it. But…
“Is this true?” Mira looked over Kaelith to Rynna.
Fuck. She glared at the back of his head. And fuck you. I can’t fucking lie, you idiot. If she could have yelled at him, she would have.
Her mouth parted—to say something, anything—but Kaelith tensed, almost as if he could hear her thoughts, then cut in before sound left her lips.
“Rynna accompanied me to ensure I didn’t step out of line,” he said smoothly, shoulders drawing taut beneath his tunic.
“I didn’t ask you.” Mira moved closer, giving Rynna her full attention. “Is this true?”
Shit.
Rynna drew her lower lip between her teeth. What would a dark elf say? They were always slippery with words, clever in the ways that counted.
“I…joined him on the trail,” she said finally, “assuming he was up to no good.”
Kaelith snorted, the sound low and short.
She shot him a glare. Unhelpful.
“But he wasn’t trying to escape,” she added, voice steadier now. “That much was obvious.”
Her shoulders relaxed as she exhaled. “Then, we were attacked near the upper ledge. Whoever they were, they nearly brought the mountain down on top of us.”
Mira didn’t answer right away.
Her eyes moved over Rynna, measuring the tremble hiding in her limbs, the scrape on her cheek, the ragged edge of her braid. A moment passed.
“Very well.” The fire in her hands dimmed to a faint ember, then vanished altogether. “Your attackers. They used the Source?”
Rynna hesitated, then nodded. “Yeah. I mean…I guess.” Her eyes flicked to Kaelith, who confirmed.
“Yes. But it was strange,” he said.
She stepped up beside the man. “Strange?”
“Not like any elemental magic I’ve ever seen before. Black and oily.” His brows scrunched together.
She hadn’t processed much of the fight, hadn’t been able to. Everything had narrowed to teeth, claws, and blood. Holding the rage back had taken everything. Seeing Kaelith broken on the ground…
Even now, her heart stuttered, thudding against her ribs.
She shook her head, scratching her fingers down her arms. “I’m sorry.” The dried blood flaked under her nails. “Can I go wash this off?”
Her skin felt tight, stretched too thin over bones. Her gums ached, teeth pressing against her tongue. There was no enemy in sight, and still, her body readied for war.
“I killed them,” she said flatly. “None got away. But they weren’t acting alone. They took orders from someone, maybe remotely. I didn’t hear any other heartbeats…” Her words faltered.
Kaelith’s head turned toward her, something flickering in his eyes.
She squeezed hers shut. Idiot. “I mean—no one else seemed nearby.”
Nails sliced into her palms as she took a slow step back, eyes on the ground. “Kaelith can explain it better. The technical details. He…he saw more than I did.”
“Rynna?” His voice barely carried.
She didn’t look, but saw the faint sign of movement as his hand started to lift, reaching for her chin.
“I’m fine.” She jerked her face away. “Just need a shower. Or a bath. I mean. Or whatever.”
Another step back, then she addressed the woman without lifting her eyes. “May I go, Warden?”
Mira studied her. There was no fire in her hands now, but a tension ran through her shoulders. The hard edge of authority remained, but something softer had crept in beneath it.
“Very well.” She nodded once.
Rynna didn’t wait. She turned.
“See me tomorrow, before training,” Mira called after her.
Rynna raised a hand in silent acknowledgment but didn’t look back. Couldn’t.
She was losing her damned mind. Again.
The thought repeated as she ran, boots hitting stone, the slope blurring beneath her. Like her steps could outpace the rift splintering inside her. Like she could outrun the silent echo of rock crushing into flesh. Of Kaelith’s body, limp and unmoving in her arms.
What is wrong with me?
If the thought of one irritating man bleeding out could unravel her, how in all the worlds was she supposed to finish this Mission?