CHAPTER 34
THE HEALER AND THE WARRIOR
The Future is Written.
– The Creed of House Fatàn
They left the Durent mountains the next morning after a night of uneasy rest. They’d had to put their failure with the Shards aside and begin their journey north.
Kara’s insides were knotted with dread, growing worse with every mile.
Back towards Fatàn – the place her nightmares had been born – the border less than a day’s ride away.
The memories surfaced again and again.
Sebastian being ripped away from her.
The dagger at her throat.
Cade dragging her into his valmare.
Soldiers forcing Sebastian to the ground.
Her hands shook on the reins.
She hated this plan. Hated every step closer.
But she didn’t stop, because Sebastian was right.
If anywhere held answers, it was Fatàn. But if they didn’t, then what were they going to do?
She pushed the thought away. They’d cross that bridge if they came to it.
Sebastian rode ahead; shoulders tense. He hadn’t spoken much since he’d suggested they make the journey.
She knew he was afraid. Not for himself – but for her.
One hand rested on his sword hilt, crimson flaring, ready to fight at a moment’s notice.
She drew strength from that. Despite her fears, the land had grown quieter the closer they came to Fatàn.
There was no sign of Thorne patrols, or Sorrel archers.
She still expected to be discovered any moment – to hear shouts, the clash of steel, feel the cold bite of nightshade on her wrists.
But so far, nothing. Perhaps the Council believed they had truly fled south after they’d taken the Fire Shard, or just didn’t expect them to come back this far north. Whatever the reason, she was grateful.
They had been in Fatàn territory for only a few quiet hours, and night had begun to fall, when it happened.
Ahead of them, a wall of deep ruby flared high into the sky – then curved overhead, sealing into a vast dome.
It spread in all directions, caging the mountains, the volcano, the forests beneath it.
A shield?
Larger than any she’d seen before. And they were inside. The shield arcing above them blazed a glowing red, rippling against the ash-dark sky. It looked like–
Fire.
Sweat beaded instantly all over her skin, dripping down her back. “No,” she choked out. “No, no, no–”
She yanked hard on the reins without meaning to, and her valmare tossed its head and stamped its hooves indignantly.
The barrier glowed harmlessly overhead, but Kara didn’t see that.
All she saw was fire above her, trapping her beneath it like the pyre.
No way out. Only flames licking at her, shutting her in until there was no air left.
I can’t breathe–
Every breath came too quick, too shallow. Her vision blurred.
“Kara.”
Sebastian had dismounted, appearing at her side in a heartbeat. He gripped her wrist firmly. “Look at me. Not at the sky. At me.”
But she couldn’t hear him. Her heart was racing so fast she thought it was going to break out of her chest. Her head was spinning, and she could taste smoke that wasn’t there. She kept trying to get air into her lungs but it was not enough, never enough–
I don’t want to burn–
“I can’t – I can’t breathe,” she gasped.
“Kara,” he called, sharper this time. “You’re not burning. You’re not trapped. I’m here. I’ve got you. Breathe.”
Her legs buckled against the stirrups and she fell forward. Sebastian caught her easily. He hauled her down with one arm locked around her waist. He used his other hand to push her palm flat against his chest.
“Here,” he ordered. “Feel it. My heartbeat, hear my breathing. Match it.”
His breathing was steady and slow, whilst hers was ragged, painful and uneven. She squeezed her eyes shut, and the sound of him broke through the panic, commanding her.
“In.” His chest expanded under her hand.
“Out.” The heat of his breath brushed her hair.
“In.”
“Out.”
She tried. Gods, she did. It took several attempts before her chest started to ease and air came more freely. Not once did Sebastian let go. Finally, the trembling in her body faded, and she sagged into him, exhausted.
“That’s it. That’s my girl. You’re alright.”
“They’ve trapped us,” she gasped, fingers still clinging desperately to him. “We’ve walked right into it–”
“Kara,” he said calmly. She tried to focus on the sound of his voice. “We’ve been in Fatàn for hours. If this shield was meant to trap us specifically, it’s more likely it would have fallen the moment we crossed the border. I think this is something else.”
He kept his voice calm. Reassuring. But it still took several moments for her to understand exactly what he’d said.
“What?” she asked shakily, looking up at him.
“Look.” He pointed back to a treeline they’d passed. Boot tracks, still visible in the ash, leading out of Fatàn. “That’s Thorne boots, clear as day. They’ve left recently, but it means the shield went up after they withdrew. They’re keeping people out. Not just us. All of Vallenna.”
Her breath still came too fast, too shallow. Her head was still spinning and she held onto Sebastian even tighter. “Then they definitely won’t want us here.” She dragged in another breath. “They’ll hand us over. They probably already know.”
“Maybe,” he said calmly. “But Fatàn aren’t soldiers. And if we need to leave–” he tapped his sleeve where the Creststone was still hidden, “–we can.”
He paused to press a soft kiss to her forehead. “You’re safe, Kara. With me, you’re safe.”
He’s going to think I’m weak, panicking like that.
As if he read her mind, he said, “Stop that, Kara. You’ve been through hell, literally, into the flames and survived.” Something dark passed over his face at his words, but he hid it quickly. “It’s okay to be shaken by it.”
She nodded once, and reluctantly she pulled away from him. “What do you think made them break with Vallenna?”
“If it were any other house, I’d say fear,” Sebastian said slowly. “Barricading themselves before Draknor comes.” He eyed the deep red arc above them thoughtfully. “But with Fatàn? They don’t act on fear. Not ever.”
“Then why?”
“I don’t know. With them, it’s always Written. Part of a grand plan they don’t share.”
“That’s comforting,” Kara muttered.
“It’s too dark to keep going now, even with the light from that shield,” he said. “We’ll have to camp here.”
Kara looked around at the thin trees, the hot springs, the volcano still pluming smoke in the distance. Her hands twisted together.
“Here?”
Sebastian looped the reins of his valmare through a fallen branch and eyed her closely. “I’ll stay awake,” he promised.
You don’t need to. I’ll never sleep here.
But it was pointless to argue with him. Neither of them slept nor spoke that night, and when the dim morning light came, Sebastian pulled her gently to her feet.
“Come on. The library is north, you can see the spire in the distance. If there’s an answer to these Shards, it’s there. One step at a time, Kara.”
Right. Mission. Shards.
Sebastian handled the tension so much better than she did.
They stayed to the back trails, which were paths carved into black stone with a strong smell of sulphur.
Jets of steam would hiss up without warning around them, and the noise did nothing to calm Kara’s nerves.
By dusk, the spire rose high before them – a vast, black stone tower.
The Fatàn library. Kara had heard tell of it, spoken in hushed tones within Hale’s halls.
Only Caldris scholars, under close watch, had ever been permitted.
And here they were, expecting to stroll inside.
This is madness.
From their vantage point in the sparse pine forest, they could see the Fatàn capital, Aeterna, spread out around the library, clusters of dark towers and violet-lit windows.
But as they watched, they noticed the streets were empty.
Eerily quiet. Sebastian stared at the library, keeping a protective hand resting on the satchel at his hip. He flashed her a wry smile.
“Come on, Kara. We broke into a fortress full of Thorne soldiers. This is just books.”
“Still, let’s wait until nightfall. Safer,” she muttered.
Sebastian nodded, studying the layout below. “We approach from the west, there’s more cover. Keep to the alleyways, out of sight,” he told her. “If there are guards, we use your sleep magic. If there are too many – we run. Regroup. Think of something else.”
She nodded. It wasn’t a perfect plan, but it was something they could work with.
They retreated further back into the shadows of the forest until the sky was inky black and the only light was from the three small moons.
On Sebastian’s signal, they climbed down into the city streets, moving through the dark alleyways.
Everywhere was still and quiet, but it didn’t feel safer.
They crept forward, towards the library doors – but there were no guards on the steps – it wasn’t even locked.
Kara’s whole body went cold with dread. “I don’t like this. It’s too easy.”
He drew his sword in one smooth, silent motion. His magic hissed along the steel, a crimson warning flare in the dark. His voice was grim. “We don’t have a better option.”
Together, they pushed open the towering doors to reveal a long, pitch-black corridor. Moonslight gleamed off the white marble floor and stone columns that lined the walls. As they stepped in, Sebastian’s magic threw crimson shadows across the dark.
“Sebastian... I really don’t like this.”
He flexed his fingers around his sword hilt. “Stay close to me.”
They had barely stepped past the first row of columns when a voice drifted from the dark, calm, cold, and certain.
“You are late.”