Chapter 17
I’m convinced my twin sister is trying to kill me.
“Again.”
After an exhausting ride through the steep, winding mountains of the Hollow and a long night setting up camp, Fallon was already eager to begin our first lesson.
Before we left, a warden delivered a message from the General, saying we needed to strengthen our marekem quickly so we could learn to channel our elements as one.
Bold move from my biological father—sending a messenger to show just how deeply he cares… about my magic, not me.
My evil twin must’ve already known about the demand—she didn’t even flinch at the warden’s words.
“So you do agree. She is your evil twin,” Lakota mumbled.
I ignored him and kept my focus on Fallon. She knocked me flat on my ass—again. But I gritted my teeth, caught my breath, and forced myself back up.
My hips ached. My back ached. Everything ached.
I glanced over my shoulder at Rhodes, who was standing just outside our makeshift circle, arms crossed, his gray-blue eyes glowing in the dimming light. He had been scrutinizing every part of Fallon’s training, bickering with her over every misstep.
My distraction cost me.
Fallon’s slap snapped my head to the side, the sharp sting spreading across my cheek. The metallic tang of blood bloomed on my tongue. My gaze whipped back to hers, and I groaned in frustration, lifting my fists again.
She smirked, motioning with her fingers for me to come at her again.
Unlike Rhodes, who focused on defense, Fallon insisted we start with offense.
Which, so far, had meant me lunging at her while she effortlessly made me look like a fool.
Every time my frustration peaked, tiny sparks of flame flickered from my fingertips—unintentional bursts of magic she had to douse with water before I accidentally set the forest on fire.
We circled each other, the ground beneath us flattened and worn from our relentless sparring. The night air was thick with the scent of pine and sweat, and I knew one thing for certain—Fallon wouldn’t let me rest until I beat her in some way.
Fallon lunged first, her movements sharp and precise. I barely dodged in time, her fist grazing past my jaw.
“You’re too slow,” she taunted.
I was trying. But Fallon moved like a wolf—fast, unrelenting, impossible to predict. Every time I thought I had an opening, she pivoted, slipping just out of reach like she was toying with me. My breaths came hard and fast, muscles burning with the effort to keep up.
She threw another punch, and I blocked it, but my arms shook from the impact. She was stronger than me. Faster than me.
But I was resilient.
I ducked under her next swing and used the momentum to roll across the ground, coming up behind her. I launched forward, aiming a hit at her ribs.
She spun at the last second, knocking my arm away.
“Better,” she admitted, smirking. “But not good enough.”
Before I could react, she slammed her palm into my shoulder and shoved me backward. My foot caught on a loose root, and I stumbled, barely keeping myself upright.
Rage flared hot in my chest. I hated how easy this was for her. I hated that she was barely even trying.
“That’s enough for tonight. She needs to rest,” Rhodes said from the sidelines.
Fallon’s eyes flicked to where he was now leaning against a tree before she rolled them. “She has years of practice to catch up on with no time for rest.”
“And whose fault is that?” I snapped, holding my arms out by my sides. My sister’s gaze snapped back to me, her eyes widening slightly. She knew exactly what I was referring to without me having to say it. She knew I existed, and yet, she didn’t come for me either.
“You have no idea what you’re talking about,” Fallon said through gritted teeth.
“Enlighten me, then.”
Her mouth twisted as she physically held back the words she wanted to say. But what she did say felt like a knife to the chest.
“I’m not the only one withholding information, sis.” She nodded her head in Rhodes’s direction.
“That’s enough. You’re done for the night,” Rhodes yelled as he pushed himself from the tree.
Magic stirred at my fingertips, a warning crackle of heat licking at my skin. I shoved it down, biting the inside of my cheek until the flames subsided.
“Focus,” Lakota growled.
I adjusted my stance, tightening my fists. Fallon raised an eyebrow like she was daring me to come at her again.
So I did.
This time, I didn’t go for the obvious attack. Instead, I feinted left, drawing her attention before twisting right. She shifted to counter—exactly like I knew she would.
I dropped low and swept my leg out, catching her off guard.
She tried to jump back, but she was a second too slow. My kick slammed into the back of her knee. Fallon’s balance faltered. Her arms flailed as she fought to stay upright.
I didn’t give her the chance.
I shoved my weight forward, slamming my shoulder into her chest. She stumbled—then fell. The ground shook as she landed flat on her back, a sharp oof escaping her lips.
For a second, I couldn’t believe it.
I did it.
I knocked her down.
Chest heaving, I stepped back, half expecting her to spring up and retaliate. But Fallon just lay there, staring up at the sky.
Then she let out a breathless laugh. “Finally,” she muttered, rubbing the back of her head. “Piss you off, noted. We are more similar than you’d like to believe.”
I scowled, still catching my breath. “I’m nothing like you.”
She grinned, propping herself up on her elbows.
“And you don’t have to piss me off to get me to fight back,” I said, chest heaving. “Go after someone I care about, and you’ll have to get through me first. I’m sure that was your blind spot, seeing that you don’t seem to have anyone in your corner to fight for you.”
Her grin dropped, any sarcastic comment she was about to make dying on her lips.
I wiped the blood from my mouth with the back of my hand as she got up from the ground.
Fallon’s chest was heaving, and I couldn’t tell if I had just knocked the breath out of her or if she was about to strangle me.
Footsteps sounded behind her in the woods moments before I saw River’s eyes reflect in the moonlight.
Then I heard the wingbeats above, knowing our dragons had caught up with us in the veil of the night.
“We have two fire elementals, why do we need so much firewood?”
“Because, Fitzroy, for the one hundredth time, it’s better to have a secure fire that will burn through the night without them having to exhaust their magic. And they can’t channel a fire to keep us warm while sleeping,” Nash snipped at my sister.
They had been bickering back and forth since we started setting up camp. Nash being from the Glade and Fallon from the Hollow, they had very different ways of doing things.
Fallon dropped another heavy load of firewood by our camp and snapped, “Only one person needs to stay up to keep watch at a time.”
Nash channeled a small wave of water to splash in Fallon’s face. Rhodes and I choked on our laughter as my sister gave Nash a death stare before wiping her wet hair from her face and tripping him with a tree root that just so happened to jump up from the ground.
“At least we have entertainment,” Rhodes leaned over and whispered in my ear.
I turned my head to him as he propped his chin on my shoulder. “What do we do if they kill each other on this mission? How do we show up in the Hollow without them?”
“Guess we figure that out when it happens,” Rhodes murmured, peppering a soft kiss on my neck that sent chills down my spine.
“Get a tent, you two,” Nash said.
Rhodes straightened at his comment, and I hoped the dark night hid my blush.
We had been sitting around the fire since we cooked our dinner of rabbit and bread.
We passed one village today but didn’t stop, trying to make good time on the way to the Glade.
There’s a small town just before we arrive that Nash says can host us for the night.
So forcing myself to eat this burnt rabbit will just have to suffice until we can have a proper meal.
Fallon got up without a word and entered her tent. River curled up beside it. I tossed the stick that was holding my dinner into the fire, enjoying the quick dance of flames crackling in the night. Rhodes stood, holding out his hand for me to join him.
“Scar, can we talk?”
My eyes flicked to Nash at his question.
I had been… avoiding being alone with him since the moment we met.
I didn’t know how much of the truth he knew about Laney’s death, or if he blamed me like I blamed myself.
It had been days since we met in the Hollow’s war room, and he had barely noticed my existence, but he seemed genuine and kind any time he had.
Rhodes squeezed my hand in silent question. I nodded and sat back on the tree stump as he crawled into our tent.
I cleared my throat. “So, um, what would you like to talk about?”
Nash’s brown eyes glowed behind the dancing fire as he smiled softly. “Delaney.”
I remained silent, twisting my fingers in my lap.
“I know you were close. She used to write to me about you. My sister cared for you deeply,” he said softly.
I fought the sting in my eyes. “As I cared for her.” I swallowed. “She was my best friend.”
“I just wanted to let you know that her love for you shined brightly through her words in our letters. A friend of Delaney is a friend of mine. And I’m here if you need anything. Or if you want to read her letters once we arrive at the Glade, you’re more than welcome.”
My breath caught at his offer to read Laney’s words—which I could only assume were full of love and compassion… leading up to her death.
“I would love that more than anything.” I couldn’t hide the crack in my voice.
Nash grinned and nodded. “I know she will be with you wherever you go. So, when you need a touch of Laney’s light, let your heart guide you to the brightest star in the sky.”
We shared a look in the quiet of the night. This deep into winter, there were no summer bugs to fill the silence—only the soft crackle of the campfire and River’s deep, rumbling snores. Nash rose from the tree stump and gave my shoulder a firm squeeze.
“Get some rest. We’ll pack up camp before sunrise,” Nash said, making his way toward his horse.
River’s ears perked in warning the moment Nash started unfolding his tent beside Fallon’s.
He knelt to set up—but River let out a low growl.
I couldn’t help the grin tugging at my lips as Nash raised both hands in surrender and scooted his supplies a few feet over.
Once he was a safe enough distance away, River huffed, gave a satisfied snort, and curled back up to sleep.
I yawned—nature’s not-so-subtle hint to call it a night. When I slipped through the flap of our shared tent, Rhodes was already waiting inside. The tent was clearly made for one soldier. When I’d asked earlier where the fourth tent was, he’d just shrugged, all casual. “Must’ve forgotten,” he said.
Rhodes lay on the bare tent floor beside my bedroll, one arm tucked behind his head, a book in his other hand. His stormy eyes met mine the moment I crawled in. With a quiet pop, he closed the book and tucked it beside him.
Talk about some shelf-control.
“We really need to work on your jokes,” Lakota teased.
“That was a good one!”
“Is it still a good joke if you’re the only one laughing?”
I ignored my sarcastic dragon and slipped off my boots.
“If we unrolled it completely, we could both fit and just lay on the floor,” I said, lifting the edge of the bedroll.
Rhodes leaned up, placing a hand gently over mine to stop me. “No,” he shook his head. “I don’t get cold easily. But I remember how you shivered that morning on the rooftop. Tuck yourself in—I’ll wrap around you.”
The velvety rasp of his voice paired with the sweetness of his words sent butterflies flitting through my stomach.
I obliged and crawled in. Rhodes molded his body to mine, tugging my back against his chest. His warmth wrapped around me like a thick blanket, his steady heartbeat a quiet rhythm against my spine.
When he nuzzled into the crook of my neck, I felt completely at ease.
I felt safe.
“I thought Nash would hate me,” I whispered.
Rhodes grazed his thumb slowly back and forth over the back of my hand. “How come?”
“Because of… everything that happened. Because of Laney.”
He propped himself up slightly and gently turned my face toward his with a warm palm.
“You are not responsible for Delaney’s death. You know that, right?”
No.
I nodded anyway. But Rhodes’s eyes said he knew it was a lie.
“As kids, we used to go to the trade market with Ma and Pa, and Delaney and Nash were always there. I never really got to know him, but we all played together back then. Until Shayde accidentally mentioned the Glade to Nash… after that, we weren’t allowed to go anymore.
But that’s how Pa learned about Salvitto—and how he channeled the water element at just ten years old. ”
“He channeled an element that young?”
Rhodes’s mouth curled into a sideways grin, one dimple appearing. “Exactly. That’s why Pa sought him out once he was of age and offered him a place in the Glade’s forces.”
I remembered what Laney once said about her brother’s chosen profession and mentioned it to Rhodes.
He brushed a loose strand of hair from my face, tucking it gently behind my ear.
After the war room, my head was buzzing with questions about the Glade—and Rhodes answered every one.
Their family’s supposed hometown, Jysper, had always been a cover story to protect the Glade’s true location.
He explained the delicate magic woven to maintain that illusion, assuring me I’d understand more once we arrived.
So I decided to trust him and wait to see for myself.
“The Shadow Glade,” he continued, “demands absolute loyalty to its secrecy. To their parents, his work probably seems dangerous enough—but they don’t know half of what he’s hiding from them.”
I stayed silent, taking in his words. But I couldn’t muster a response.
“From what I know of Salvitto, he’s a good man—loyal to the core. It doesn’t surprise me in the least that Delaney was his little sister.”