chapter fourty-one
elysia
Snow crunches beneath our boots in a steady, relentless rhythm.
Hours have passed since we crossed the border, and the sun has long since slipped behind the jagged ruins and serrated mountains of the old eastern quarter.
Twilight seeps into the land in layered hues of violet and pink, the light bleeding softly across stone and snow as shadows stretch like reaching fingers over the remnants of what once stood.
Beneath the frost, flowers glow faintly through thick blankets of snow, scattered across the ground like fallen stars that refuse to fade.
In the distance, vast forests breathe with quiet light, trees threaded with luminescent veins, their canopies casting soft, otherworldly rays that shimmer against the cold. Even in winter’s grasp, Celestria continues to hum with life, dimmed but unbroken, glowing softly against the dark.
My breath fogs in front of me, though thanks to the rune at my arm, the cold hasn’t bit into flesh once.
Cole walks at my side, shoulders brushing mine every so often.
Ronan and Brynn trail just behind us, talking quietly, their voices blending with the crunch of snow.
The rest of the squad is spread out across the ruins in loose clusters.
Pairs and trios moving with practised wariness.
And behind all of us, silent as death and twice as watchful, is Kaden.
Cole bumps his shoulder into mine. “You’re still mad.”
“I’m not mad,” I mutter.
“Right,” he snorts. “And I’m the King of Celestria.”
A reluctant huff escapes me, but I don’t rise to the bait. Not this time.
He glances sideways. “You know… if it makes you feel any better, at least if we die, we can die together.”
I stop dead. “Cole,” I warn.
He holds up his hands. “It was a joke.”
“It wasn’t funny.”
He shrugs, “It was a little funny.”
“Cole.” My voice is a low warning.
“Fine, fine,” he grumbles. “No death jokes.”
We start walking again, the silence between us a little less sharp, until I notice something glinting atop his heart. His insignia. A crescent moon with one star.
“When did you graduate?”
His posture goes stiff. “A few weeks ago.”
“And you didn’t mention that in your letters, why exactly?”
He exhales through his nose, breath turning to mist. “Because you’d worry. And it wasn’t worth worrying about.”
I sigh, “Cole, I love you—”
“Nope, nope, nope,” he cuts in. “Not doing the guilt thing. I was fine, Sparks.”
“Yeah, come on, Sparks. Give him a break.” Ronan’s voice floats from behind, amused.
Cole shoots him a glare but continues, “Besides, it’s not like graduating suddenly makes me special or guarantees being sent out.”
I arch a brow. “How did you graduate so fast?”
His smirk is immediate and infuriating. “You really have to ask?”
I roll my eyes, but can’t help the warmth easing into my chest. “No. I get it. You’ve always been good at… everything, really.”
He preens. “Thank you.”
“That wasn’t a compliment.” I chime.
“Still taking it as one.”
I shake my head, looping my arm through his and resting my cheek briefly against his arm. For a moment, it feels like home again. Like nights walking back to the cottage. Simpler times.
“It doesn’t mean they should be throwing you straight into the field, though. If you were still a cadet, you wouldn’t be out here right now.” I murmur.
He scoffs loudly. “Oh, that’s rich coming from you,” He nods to my insignia, “Cadet Morningstar.”
“No, this is different, and you know it. I have no choice but to be here… regardless of rank.”
“How?” Cole challenges. “Explain that to me. Slowly.”
“I—” I falter.
Because the truth is… he’s right.
There isn’t a good answer, or at least not one he will understand. The inner workings of the bond are a mystery to him, and I have no strength left to teach him about soul-binding.
He lifts a brow. “Exactly,” he says. “I’ve been trained to kill these things for months. You haven’t. But you’re still here.”
“Yeah, well, you might be trained, Cole,” I begin, “but that doesn’t automatically give you an advantage.”
“No,” he agrees, surprisingly gentle. “But being apart from you while you’re out here? That would be worse.”
My throat tightens around something I don’t want to name as we walk, the ruins fading behind us as the forest grows closer, cold wind threading through broken archways and burned buildings like ghosts.
“If you die, I’ll be pissed,” I whisper.
He grins. “And that’s why I’m not going to.”
Before I can elbow him, Kaden’s voice cuts across the entire squad. Sharp and loud, carrying through the ruins like a command carved from steel.
“Head toward those trees,” He says, raising an arm to point toward the looming treeline. “There’s a clearing just beyond them. We’ll set up camp there for the night. Move.”
Around us, everyone shifts into motion. Packs adjusting, weapons checked, formation tightening.
Cole gives my arm a small squeeze. “Come on. First night as squadmates. Don’t make me carry you.”
“You wouldn’t dare.” I gasp.
He side-eyes me. “Keep talking.”
I roll my eyes, a chuckle rising in my throat as we near the clearing.
The moment we step beneath the trees, silence settles over the group like a thick blanket. Every crack of a branch, every shift of snow underfoot seems too loud in the hush. No wind. No wildlife. Nothing but the crunch of our boots and the slow whisper of breath in the cold air.
The trees are thick and covered in snow, shrouding the forest in darkness, all but for the moonlight seeping through the cracks and the faint glow of vines crawling lazily up tree trunks.
The walk stays hauntingly quiet until finally, the forest thins and we spill into a clearing exactly where Kaden said it would be.
A small cottage stands at its centre, or…
what remains of it. Half-burned, half-collapsed, its charred beams jut upward like broken ribs.
Snow covers the field around it in a glittering sheet, the glow of magical plants and moonlight catching on its surface, making it look like crushed diamonds scattered across the ground.
As we gather near the middle of the clearing, Kaden clears his throat, slipping effortlessly back into command.
“Set up for the night—two per tent. I hope you brought enough. Otherwise, some of you are in for a very uncomfortable night.”
Cole immediately leans toward Brynn, whispering loud enough that half the damn squad could hear if they cared to.
“I have a free spot in my tent tonight. You’re welcome to join me for a nightcap.”
Brynn gives him a tight, controlled smile, one that fails miserably to hide the blush climbing up her neck. “Kind offer, Sanchez, but you’ll need to promise me more than a nightcap to get me into your bed.”
“Who said that’s all I was offering?”
“Gods, you make me want to barf.” My tone is teasing as I stroll past them to grab a tent from the supply cart.
A few minutes later, I’ve managed to assemble my tent… not well, but functionally. Inside are two makeshift beds: thin mats, a pillow each, and sparse blankets we barely need thanks to the heating rune hanging from the centre pole.
Brynn is absolutely going to end up in Cole’s tent tonight. I know it. Cole knows it. Ronan probably knows it. The only person pretending she won’t is Brynn herself.
So I consider asking Ronan to bunk with me.
“The fuck you will.” Kaden’s voice slides into my mind, low and edged with all too familiar possessiveness.
I scoff. “Right. I forgot my bonded is a possessive asshole.”
“No…” His voice deepens. “I’m protective of what is mine. Don’t get the two twisted, Moonfire.”
My eyes roll as I exit the tent.
Logs have been set up in the centre as makeshift benches, all surrounding a bonfire that Kaden has put together, and I can’t help the smile that spreads onto my face as he attempts to wield my fire to light it.
I prance into the centre like an overdramatic swan, drop gracefully onto one of the logs, and tilt my head.
“Need some help, oh mighty squad leader?” I purr.
His amusement flickers down the bond, tangled with a hint of irritation that only makes my grin widen.
He smirks at me, eyes glinting. “Done giving me the silent treatment, I see.”
I shrug. “For now. Although you still have plenty of time to piss me off again.”
“Noted.” A beat of silence. “I’m sorry—”
“It’s fine,” I interrupt softly. “I know why you agreed. And honestly… Cole would’ve come with us one way or another. Even if you’d said no, he probably would’ve snuck through the border and met us out here anyway.”
Kaden lowers himself beside me, takes my hand, and presses a kiss to my knuckles. Warmth blooms instantly under my skin.
“Still,” he murmurs, “I need to apologise. If it had been anyone else… anyone but Sirena, I never would have accepted it. But I will do anything to protect the people I love.” He lifts his gaze to mine, voice dropping into something dark and reverent.
“I would drown the world in darkness and paint it in blood for you, if I had to.”
My heart stutters, and butterflies riot through my stomach.
The words should be terrifying, should twist my insides into knots… but instead they settle into me like heat, and gods help me, I only adore him more for it.
I clear my throat, but my voice still comes out as a whisper, “How did you know this was here?”
His eyes search mine for a moment before he speaks, “It’s my home… or what’s left of it.”
Sadness starts to weigh heavily in my gut, but before I can speak, he continues. “Don’t feel sad for me, it’s nice being here… in a weird way. And it’s safe for the most part.” He squeezes my hand gently.
“The lacwyvern can’t get here?” I question, eyebrow raised.
He smiles, “They can, but not without us knowing about it beforehand. Most of them are as big as these trees. There is no way for them to get in here without either getting stuck or making themselves known.”
I nod, “So, it’s unlikely for them to attack us here?”
“Very…” He tucks a stray strand of hair behind my ear, “but we’ll still take watches, just to be safe.”
“Well, I’ll sleep easier knowing that, at least.”
His voice drops low as he leans in, breath brushing the shell of my ear. “Who said you’ll be sleeping at all? If I had it my way, you’d be screaming my name over and over… until you prefer the stars I make you see over the ones above us.”
Desire punches through me, sharp and hot. His fingers slip to the nape of my neck, tugging just enough to drag a gasp from my throat. He tilts my face toward him, lips brushing mine—
“Eris Lockewood… ah, fuck. Have I interrupted something?”
We jolt apart, though Kaden moves slower than I do, reluctance rolling off him in a dark wave.
Eris stands a few feet away, hands raised in mock apology, though the smirk on her lips tells me she’s anything but sorry. Her crowned plait is dusted with snow; a faint scar slips along her jawline, one I hadn’t noticed before.
Kaden goes still beside me. Not frozen, more like… bracing. The unease pulsing through the bond spikes, then dulls, then spikes again. An erratic, simmering rhythm.
She steps closer, offering her hand like she hadn’t just barged into something very obviously private.
“I don’t think we’ve properly met. I’m Eris. Used to work with Reinheart back in the day.” Her eyes flick to him, lingering just a beat too long. “A long time ago, of course.”
I take her hand, giving a polite shake. “Elysia Morningstar.”
Eris’s smile stretches, “Morningstar… pretty name. How long have you been training for? You don’t exactly have the ‘border-raised’ look.”
I hold her gaze. “A few months.”
Her brows lift. “A few months? And they sent you out here? Bold.”
Kaden’s hand tightens around mine, light but protective. “Drop it, Eris. She’s more capable than half the border.”
Eris looks him up and down, like she’s cataloguing every muscle twitch, then her attention slides back to me.
“So, Elysia… where’s home? Family? Orphan? You’ve got the posture for money, but the eyes for something darker.”
I stiffen. “My past is my business.”
“Ooh. Mysterious.” She smirks. “He always liked the mysterious ones.”
Kaden’s jaw flexes, irritation spiking through the bond so hard I almost choke on it.
Her eyes rake over me. My posture, my hair, my insignia… my armoured corset.
“Nice gear,” she says, circling me like she’s inspecting a new horse. Her fingers graze one of the cerulium inlays. “Custom work. For a cadet? That’s… special.” Her gaze flicks to Kaden, too knowing. “You having custom armour made for your squads now, Kade?”
He grits his teeth and slithers his arm around my waist. Protective and claiming all at once.
“For her.”
Eris goes still for half a second, “Well. That’s new.” She laughs, “Benefits of being the squad leader’s whore, I guess.”
The words hit me like a slap.
For a heartbeat, I can’t move. Can’t breathe. But the bond—
Gods, the bond erupts.
Rage slamming into me from Kaden so violently, I nearly choke on it.
“Eris,” he growls. “Fuck. Off.”
She rolls her eyes, entirely unfazed until Kaden rises slowly. Power bleeding off him in controlled waves, enough that the air itself seems to tighten, humming around us.
“Call her that again, I dare you,” he warns, voice dropping dangerously low. “I don’t hit women… but I do break warriors.”
For a single heartbeat, Eris’s mask slips. Her breath catches, and her shoulders draw taut, but then she forces her expression back into bored neutrality.
She scoffs, light and careless. “Understood… sir.” Then she winks at him.
It’s such a blatant and familiar gesture that it twists something hot and ugly in my stomach.
“See you later, Elysia.” She turns to me with a sugar-sweet smile before walking off.