Chapter 32
Chapter thirty-two
“Are you ready?” Lady Takara's voice pulled Rynna’s attention back to the present.
The office’s small window allowed a faint breeze to sweep through the room, carrying the scent of sweat and wood smoke from the camp outside. She could still see the tall columns of dust rising from the departing regiments. Including Fenn’s regiment.
Fuck. He was heading out to confront the enemy’s advancing army, a threat they still knew almost nothing about. Only that it seemed to grow stronger with every village it crushed, leaving behind nothing but death and devastation that made even Rynna’s hardened instincts shudder.
“He’ll be fine,” Takara spoke again, this time softer, placing a gentle hand on Rynna’s shoulder and following her gaze. The woman’s dark silk robes, embroidered with the crest of Ember Reach, rustled softly as she adjusted her stance, the fabric whispering against the wooden floor.
“You don’t know that.” Rynna turned to face her. “And we’ve both seen too much to rely on empty platitudes.”
“Fine.” Takara dropped her hand. She tugged lightly at the embroidered belt around her waist. “But if anyone can survive what's coming, it's Vessel Fenn.” She paused, studying Rynna carefully. “You’re not thinking of running off after him, are you?”
“I should be with him,” Rynna replied through gritted teeth. “Not stuck here babysitting the monster. I’m particularly well-suited to understand whatever’s happening out there, and you know it.”
Takara tsked, shaking her head. “First of all, I know no such thing. Only the vague hints you’ve dropped here and there about your supposed past and missions.”
Rynna crossed her arms, a flicker of frustration rising.
“Second, while most of what you’ve shared has been ambiguous at best, one thing is absolutely clear: Kaelith has some kind of attachment to you. And that attachment seems to be mutual, considering you brought him here.”
“Takara—”
“In this situation, Awakened Rynna, I am your Warden, not your friend. And I am responsible for the safety of Ember Reach, not your love life.”
Goddamn. Rynna bit back the complaint forming on her lips. The woman was right. She was being a brat, not the soldier they needed right now. “You really think we need him?”
The Ember Warden pursed her lips thoughtfully. “I don’t know, but it seems likely. And I’m not about to pass up the opportunity to gain some leverage over the old snake.”
“Okay.” Rynna ground her teeth, then nodded.
A twitch of surprise crossed Takara’s face. “Really? No more arguments?”
“No.” Rynna rolled her eyes. “You’re right, and I’m letting my emotions cloud my judgment.”
“Of course I’m right.” The Ember Warden smirked before her usual sharpness eased into something softer. “It must be hard, though, being both so young and so old at the same time.”
“Whatever, Granny,” Rynna quipped, giving the woman’s hand a quick squeeze. “Let’s just get this over with. The faster I get answers, the sooner I can get to the front.”
The dimly lit room smelled of damp earth and iron, and the cold stone walls, lined with faded wooden beams, creaked under every footstep. A single lantern cast long shadows across the floor, illuminating a low, weathered table and coils of thick rope beside it.
Kaelith sat in the corner on the floor, cross-legged with the same loose, flowing garments she’d left him in, draping his form.
His wrists, though, were now bound with heavy shackles, the iron links holding his hands tightly together as they rested in his lap.
But despite the new bruises marring his face and the deep purple of a fresh black eye, he seemed oddly at peace.
“Looks like someone got to you before me.” Rynna leaned against the door she’d just closed, though a flash of anger at the sight of his injuries twisted in her gut.
“Hmm?” He opened one eye, wincing as the skin split, the fresh cut across his brow beginning to ooze again.
“Why do you want to speak to me, Kaelith?” Rynna huffed, stepping closer and tossing him a grimy towel from the small table in the center of the cell.
I thought we said everything that needed to be said years ago, she shot the thought down the mental link that still bound them.
He’d all but thrown her from his secret lab when she’d found him after the Ascension, ostensibly looking for Taren.
He paused mid-dab. And I thought you wanted me out of your mind.
Out loud, he said, “Things have changed. Whatever you did when you pulled me out...it changed me.” His eyes fixed on the bright red blood soaking into the tissue, before holding it up. “Or at least changed me back...to my original physical form.”
Seeing the bloodied tissue, she remembered her shock the first time Fang Unit had been able to injure him with blades, and the purple ichor Bran’s daggers had drawn.
Some things can’t be shared out loud, she answered his thought, even as her mouth went dry. She knew the taste of that red blood, like fire down her throat, spreading through her veins.
“Your body may be restored, but whatever’s left of your soul is still as foul as it was before I found you.”
Indeed, pet. Some things are better left in the dark. The deep, knowing hum that followed sent a tremor down her spine.
Years of training and experience had honed her mind to resist manipulation, but Kaelith always knew how to slip through her defenses.
Then, as if he could sense the very memories she was trying to suppress, his lips curved into a slow, wicked smile, and he extended his elongated, snake-like tongue, dragging it slowly across his lower lip.
“You can’t undo what you did...to all those children...to your own Reach.” He’s a monster, she reminded herself over and over, even as her chest rose and fell with growing urgency.
He’s your monster, Fenn’s words echoed in her mind.
Fuck!
“I regret...” His voice hesitated, pulling her from the spiral of doubts. “I regret much of what I did after you left.”
“You’re a monster.” She snorted, taking a seat at the table. “I don’t believe you.”
“You’re absolutely right. I am a monster. You’ve always known that.” His smile faltered, and his voice lowered. “But I do have regrets. Things I wish I hadn’t done. I went…too far.” And none of it was worth it without you.
“Kae.” She slumped forward in her chair, her elbows resting on her knees. “I…”
Why did you leave? The words teased her mind.
She swallowed hard. He hadn’t bothered to ask that question during their brief conversation after Taren’s disappearance. At the time, she thought he didn’t care. But now...maybe he just hadn’t dared to ask.
It wasn’t my choice. The thought floated hollow between them.
She vaguely remembered the storm swelling around her, the familiar signal that a new Mission was pulling her away to another distant world. She remembered…begging to keep him as her body and mind broke apart against the will of the Weaving.
They’d been searching for a boy who had gone missing. Kaelith hadn’t been worried. This wasn’t the first time the kid had wandered off, and each time, he or Rynna had brought him back to his grateful but exasperated mother.
But she had never made it to that side of the mountain.
It wasn’t your choice, he echoed, nodding to himself, then slammed his fists into the concrete floor with a deafening crack. What does that even mean? You were supposed to stay until the world burns.
I’m sorry. Rynna flinched, her body shrinking inward.
When he looked up again, the sneer he always wore had vanished, replaced by something far more unsettling, a cold, unreadable mask. Did you even want to stay?
Of course. The thought escaped her, raw and unguarded, before she could stop it.
His eyes narrowed. Did you even look for me when you returned?
That’s not how it works. She hadn’t even remembered him until that moment when he revealed himself at the Ascension.
Too busy enjoying your new toy, I suppose? His mouth twisted into a tight, bitter line.
Her jaw dropped, caught off guard. She couldn’t tell if it was hurt, or jealousy, or both, but it was the first time she’d seen anything deeper from him in this life beyond the flashes of anger or cold indifference.
“Everything all right in there?” one of the guards called through the door. “Why are you just staring at each other?”
Kaelith's head snapped up. And his fangs dropped as he released a low hiss, trembling with barely contained rage, eyes wild.
“Kaelith!” She jumped to her feet, slamming her heel into his gut and pinning him to the floor. She knew exactly how fast he could be. The door and restraints wouldn’t protect the guard.
“Release me!” he bellowed, writhing beneath her, his hands locking around her ankle as he tried to throw her off.
“Awakened Rynna?” another guard called through the door. “We’re coming in!”
“For fuck’s sake, stay where you are! I’m fine!” She glanced down, seeing Kaelith’s neck extending, his jaw unhinging. “If you fucking bite me, snake, I’ll kill you.” Her voice dropped low, though the tone was no less vicious. “Now calm the fuck down.”
The command in her voice rippled through the air, and his hands loosened their grip on her ankle as his body sagged back into submission.
“Awakened Rynna?” The door creaked open.
“I’m fine,” she said, not taking her eyes off Kaelith. “Close the door. I’m almost done here.”
“Yes, ma’am,” came the guard’s quick response.
“Ma’am?” Kaelith raised an eyebrow as the door clicked shut. His lips twitched, and then, before she could react, his tongue flicked out, sliding across her bare ankle.
Rynna shivered as the forked edges traced a slow path along her calf, lingering longer and longer with every second. She knew exactly what that tongue could do.
Damn it! Rynna thought, pulling away, though she couldn’t help but savor the feel of him sliding down her skin as she extricated herself. What do you think you’re doing?!
Kaelith smiled lazily, retracting his tongue as he stretched his arms behind his head, reclining comfortably.
I don’t really think I need to explain it to you. Do I?
Her face flushed. Get out of my head! And don’t ever touch me like that again.
“You’ve had your fun, Kaelith.” She sat back in the chair, gripping the end of the table with both hands. “Now give me something I can use.”
He pouted theatrically, though the self-satisfied smile never left his lips.
“If you don’t provide something useful, these sessions end.” She let the threat hang between them. “And I rejoin my Commander with the Third Regiment.”
“The wolf.” Kaelith’s face twisted into a frown before adding, “Very well, pet. I’ll provide what I know...or at least some of it.”
She stepped back, sitting in the chair again. “Get on with it then.”
As Kaelith spoke, a slow, creeping horror began to settle in Rynna's stomach. By the end, he had shared far more than she ever expected, but two things absolutely terrified her.
“They seem to be using the Source to draw elemental power from the planet,” and “An army of the dead.”
The implications hit her like a punch to the gut.
If they were using the Source, a substance she knew to be foreign to this world, to pull enough power to reanimate and control the dead on such a massive scale, the corruption of the natural magic here would be devastating.
It also meant that the corpses fueling this army were the very people slaughtered in the villages along their path of destruction.
And that would include any Hollow-born who died fighting them.
The Alliance army would have to change its tactics drastically and fast if it hoped to survive. Every corpse added to the horde would make it more unstoppable, all while draining this world of the very magic that gave it life.
“But what about the Great Phoenix?” she asked, her mouth suddenly dry.
She was still missing something vital. What was the point of the Phoenix if they had enough power to turn everyone into zombies?
“I don’t know,” Kaelith replied, scratching his chin. “I’ve tried to piece it together, but there’s another player in the mix, and he remains hidden.”
“Shit.” She frowned. “This is bad, Kaelith.”
“Why do you think I’m here, sitting in this...room?” He gestured to the cell around him. “If the world crumbles too soon, so does my second chance.”
She snorted. “I guess that’s one way of looking at it.” This was the calculating bastard she remembered, the one who would do the right thing, eventually.
“But what does it all mean?” He leaned forward, watching her closely. “Is this what brought you back?”
“What does it mean?” She wrinkled her nose. “Nothing good. I’ll say that much.”
“You know more.”
“And I’ll share it with the Wardens.” She paused, giving him one last look. “Anything else you want to add?”
Kaelith’s eyes gleamed with a dark amusement. “Tomorrow. Come see me tomorrow, and I might have something for you.”
You’re so irritating, she thought, turning to leave, knowing she’d have to do this all over again the next day. The bastard was definitely holding something back, something important.
And you taste delicious, my pet. Pleasant dreams, his voice purred in her mind as the door clicked shut behind her.
Free of him, Rynna leaned heavily against the wall on the other side of the cell, shaking, her body struggling to find calm.
Get your shit together, she told herself. He’s an asset. Nothing more.
“You okay, ma’am?” The guard appeared beside her, offering a glass of water.
“Yes, thank you.” She took it, draining it in one gulp.
“I can’t believe you actually got him to talk,” the guard marveled, looking at her with awe. “And Vessel Dent says the body indicators showed he was telling the truth.”
“Yeah,” she answered, still steadying herself.
“And the way you kicked him and pinned him to the floor!” The guard mimicked a high kick in the air, grinning. “Epic! Welcome back to Ember Reach, traitor!”
“Ha, ha, yeah, totally.” Rynna forced a laugh, still trying to shake off the adrenaline. “Thanks for the backup earlier.”
“Anytime, ma’am!” He gave her a precise salute before returning to his post by the door.
“Right.” She ran a hand through her hair as she started walking away. “Right.”
She needed to brief Lady Takara before the nightly operations meeting with the Wardens. The new intel had to reach the front lines as soon as possible if the deployed regiments had any chance of survival.