Chapter twenty nine - The Truth She Chose
The door clicked softly behind Liora as she stepped into the room, and for a moment she just stood there, letting the quiet settle around her. The Academy halls had been buzzing with early?morning noise, but here, in the small dorm she shared with Mira, everything felt still. Safe. Normal.
A lie.
Because nothing in her life was normal anymore.
Mira was perched on her bed, legs crossed, hair in a messy braid that somehow still looked perfect. She was flipping through a book, humming under her breath, completely unaware of the storm Liora carried inside her.
The moment she looked up, her face lit up.
"There you are!" Mira practically launched herself off the bed. "Finally! I thought you'd died in a ditch or been eaten by a mountain lion or—gods, Liora, you look awful."
Liora forced a smile.
"Thanks."
Mira waved a hand. "You know what I mean. Sit."
Before Liora could protest, Mira grabbed her wrist and tugged her toward the bed. Liora let herself be pulled, her limbs heavy, her mind heavier. She sank onto the mattress, feeling exhaustion settle into her bones.
Mira plopped down beside her, eyes bright with curiosity.
"So? How was the trip? Did anything exciting happen? Did Kael brood? Did you almost die?"
Liora blinked.
She had no idea where to start.
She couldn't tell Mira about Erevos.
She couldn't tell her about the healers.
She couldn't tell her about the throne.
She definitely couldn't tell her about Aiden's potential challenge.
But she could tell her something.
Something true.
Something shocking.
Something that wouldn't get anyone killed.
She took a slow breath.
"We found the eggshell."
Mira gasped dramatically. "No way! Let me see it!"
"They already took it to the examiners."
Mira pouted. "Ugh. Fine. So what was it like? Was it pretty? Was it shiny? Did it glow? Did it—"
"It was old," Liora said quietly.
Mira blinked. "Old like...?"
"Old like centuries."
Mira's jaw dropped.
"centurie? Liora, that's impossible. Eggs don't survive that long."
"I know."
"And dragons don't hatch from eggs that old."
"I know."
Mira stared at her, eyes wide.
"Liora... how is Ashwing alive?"
Liora swallowed.
"I don't know."
Mira sat back, stunned. "That's... that's insane. That's—gods, that's actually kind of amazing."
Liora nodded, but her mind was far away — back in the cave, back in the courtyard, back in the moment Ashwing did something even more impossible.
"There's something else," she said softly.
Mira leaned in, eager. "Tell me."
"Ashwing... let Kael touch him."
Mira froze.
"What?"
"He didn't snap at him as usually. E didn't pull away. He just... let him."
Mira's mouth fell open.
"No. No. Ashwing hates everyone except you."
"I know."
"He doesn't allow Aiden too close to you"
"I know."
"He doesn't even allow me to get close to you or him"
"I know."
Mira stared at her like she'd just confessed to witnessing a miracle.
"Liora... that's huge."
Liora nodded, feeling the weight of it all over again.
"It was."
Mira squealed, grabbing her shoulders.
"Oh my gods, do you know what this means? Ashwing trusts him! He actually trusts him! Liora, that's—"
"It doesn't mean anything," Liora said quickly.
Mira paused.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
Mira raised an eyebrow.
"You're lying."
"I'm not."
"You are. You get that twitch in your eyebrow—"
"Mira."
"Fine, fine." Mira flopped back onto her bed. "But I'm just saying... if Ashwing trusts him, maybe you should too."
Liora's stomach twisted.
Trust Kael.
Trust the boy who was training her in secret.
Trust the boy who was planning to challenge the king.
Trust the boy who might have to fight Aiden.
Trust the boy who had asked her to keep the most dangerous secret of her life.
She couldn't trust him.
She couldn't not trust him.
She was trapped somewhere in between.
Mira rolled onto her side, propping her head up on her hand.
"So... speaking of boys," she said casually, "Aiden came by last night."
Liora froze.
Mira didn't notice.
"He said he asked you out before you left," she continued. "And he said he'd wait for your answer."
Liora's heart pounded painfully.
Aiden.
Who had been there for her since day one.
Who had trusted her and helped her.
Who had no idea she was keeping secrets that involved him — dangerous secrets, royal secrets, secrets that could destroy him.
Mira nudged her.
"So? Are you going to say yes?"
Liora opened her mouth.
Nothing came out.
Because how could she say yes?
How could she even look him in the eye?
How could she date someone whose life might be in danger because of secrets she wasn't allowed to share?
"I... I don't know," she whispered.
Mira frowned.
"What do you mean you don't know? Do you like him or not?"
Liora stared at her hands.
"It's complicated."
Mira groaned dramatically.
"Liora, everything with you is complicated. Just say yes! He's sweet. And he clearly likes you."
Liora's chest tightened.
If only it were that simple.
If only she weren't tangled in Kael's secrets.
If only she weren't tied to a future she didn't understand.
If only she weren't carrying truths that could get people killed.
Mira sighed, flopping back onto her pillow.
"You're overthinking it. As usual."
Liora didn't answer.
Because she wasn't overthinking.
She was terrified.
And she had no idea how to keep living a normal life when everything around her was unraveling.
Mira was still talking—something about classes —when a sharp knock sounded at the door.
The sound cut through the room like a blade, and both girls froze.
Mira's eyes lit up instantly, her entire face brightening with a knowing grin.
Before Liora could even form a protest, Mira was already halfway across the room, practically bouncing as she reached for the handle.
"Mira, wait—" Liora tried, panic rising too fast to swallow down.
But Mira swung the door open with a flourish.
Aiden stood in the doorway, framed by the hallway light. His hair was tousled from training, his uniform slightly wrinkled, and his expression softened the moment he saw Liora. He smiled—warm, genuine, the kind of smile that made her chest ache with guilt.
"Hey," he said quietly.
Liora's breath caught. She wasn't ready for this. Not now. Not with everything she was carrying.
Mira beamed at him. "I'll leave you two alone."
"Mira—" Liora tried again, but Mira slipped out the door with a wink, closing it behind her and leaving Liora alone with the one person she least wanted to hurt.
Aiden stepped inside, closing the door gently behind him. For a moment, he didn't speak. He just looked at her—really looked at her—as if trying to read everything she wasn't saying. Liora felt exposed under that gaze, like every secret she held was written across her skin.
"I... wanted to see you," he said finally.
"I just got back," she murmured.
"I know." He hesitated. "I waited."
The words hit her like a blow. He had waited for her. For an answer she couldn't give.
Aiden stepped closer, concern tightening his features. "Are you okay? You look... tired."
"I'm fine," she lied.
"You don't look fine."
She looked away, unable to meet his eyes. She couldn't—not when she knew what Kael had told her, not when she knew Aiden might one day stand across from Kael in an arena, not when she knew one of them might die.
Aiden's voice softened. "Liora... did I do something wrong?"
Her head snapped up. "What? No. Of course not."
"Then why won't you look at me?"
She forced herself to meet his gaze. His eyes were warm, open, trusting. It hurt.
"I'm just... overwhelmed," she said quietly.
"Because of the trip?"
"Yes," she said too quickly.
He noticed. Of course he noticed.
"What happened out there?"
Liora swallowed hard. She couldn't tell him about Erevos. She couldn't tell him about Kael's challenge. She couldn't tell him about the throne. But she could tell him the one safe truth she'd already shared with Mira.
"The eggshell," she said. "It was... older than we expected."
Aiden frowned. "How old?"
"centuries."
His eyes widened. "centuries? Liora, that's—"
"Impossible," she finished. "I know."
"And Ashwing still hatched from it?"
"Yes."
Aiden let out a low breath, stunned. "That's... gods, that's incredible."
Liora nodded, though her mind was far away—back in the cave, back in the courtyard, back in the moment she realized how dangerous the truth really was.
Aiden took a breath, steadying himself. "Liora... before you left, I asked you something."
Her heart lurched. "I remember."
"And I meant it," he said. "I still do."
She looked away. "Aiden..."
He stepped closer, gently taking her hand. Her breath caught.
"You don't have to say yes," he said softly. "But I need to know if you're saying no."
Liora's throat tightened painfully. She wanted to say yes. She wanted to say no. She wanted to scream. She wanted to disappear. Instead, she whispered the only truth she could safely give him.
"I don't want to ruin our friendship."
Aiden froze. "Oh."
The hurt in his voice was soft, quiet, and somehow worse than anger.
"I'm sorry," she said quickly. "It's not that I don't like you. I just... I don't want to lose what we already have."
Aiden's fingers loosened around hers. "You think saying yes would ruin it?"
"I don't know," she whispered. "But I'm scared it might."
Aiden took a slow breath, then nodded—once, sharply, like he'd made a decision.
"Okay," he said. "Then that's it."
Liora blinked. "What?"
Aiden let go of her hand completely. "I'm not going to wait around hoping you'll change your mind. I care about you too much to do that to myself."
Her stomach dropped. "Aiden—"
"It's fine," he said, though his voice cracked just slightly. "Really. We're friends. That's what you want. So that's what it is."
Liora's chest ached. "I didn't mean—"
"You did," he said gently. "And it's okay."
He stepped back, putting space between them—space that felt like a wall.
She stared at him, guilt twisting like a knife.
Aiden gave her a small, sad smile. "You're important to me, Liora. But I'm not going to chase someone who doesn't want me back."
Her throat tightened painfully. "That's not—"
"It's okay," he said again, softer this time. "Really."
He turned toward the door. "I'll see you in training."
He paused, hand on the handle, and looked back at her one last time.
"I'm glad you're safe," he said quietly.
Then he left.
The door clicked shut, and the silence that followed felt heavier than anything she'd carried all night. Liora finally let herself breathe—shaky, uneven, full of guilt she didn't know how to carry. Aiden wasn't waiting. He wasn't hoping. He wasn't lingering. He was moving on.
And somehow, that hurt.
But how could she be with him while keeping so many secrets? Secrets that weren't hers to tell. Secrets that could destroy him. Secrets that wrapped around her like chains.
And what about Kael?
She pressed a trembling hand to her chest, as if she could quiet the thought, but it only echoed louder.
She couldn't keep him out of her mind. Not his voice.
Not his eyes. Not the weight of the truth he'd placed in her hands.
Not the way everything in her life seemed to bend toward him, even when she tried to pull away.
Liora sank onto her bed, staring at the door Aiden had just walked through.
She had pushed him away.
But the person she couldn't push out of her thoughts was the one she should have stayed farthest from.