The air was thick with tension as Elyra led her small group of scouts through the dense woods, her senses on high alert. The tracks Kael had left behind were fresh—he couldn't be far. She could almost feel him, like a shadow in the distance, just beyond the reach of her sight.
Her mind was focused, sharp, as she considered the consequences of finding him.
What would she do when they met?
The thought gnawed at her. Every part of her, every instinct honed by years of war, told her that Kael was a threat—an enemy that had to be eliminated. But then there were the flashes of memory, moments she couldn't shake. The way he had looked at her in the chaos of the fortress, his voice low and urgent, telling her to trust him.
Trust him.
She clenched her fists at her sides. He was the enemy. No matter what had passed between them, no matter the fleeting moments of understanding, the rebellion came first. His life, his intentions, meant nothing in the grand scheme.
Yet, as they pressed deeper into the forest, the doubt clung to her, twisting her insides.
"We're getting close," Mara said, her voice barely above a whisper as she approached.
Elyra nodded, her gaze scanning the trees ahead. "Stay sharp. He knows we're following him."
Mara studied her for a moment, then nodded. "What if he's not going back to the capital?"
Elyra's heart skipped a beat. "What do you mean?"
"If Kael's alive, he's not going to report back to the king," Mara said. "Maybe he's on his own now. Maybe he's running from the same thing we are."
Elyra's jaw tightened. "I'm not taking any chances."
Mara didn't argue, but the flicker of uncertainty in her eyes made Elyra's chest tighten. The question that had been burning in the back of her mind now seemed too real to ignore: What if Kael wasn't just the enemy? What if he was someone who had been trapped in the same web of lies, manipulated and forced into the same war as they were?
No. Elyra couldn't afford to entertain that thought.
She forced herself to focus, pushing her doubts aside.
The air grew colder as they moved deeper into the forest, the shadows lengthening as the sun dipped lower in the sky. The forest grew quieter, and the further they went, the more the hairs on Elyra's neck stood on end.
Then she saw it.
A broken branch. A faint smear of blood on the ground.
He was close.
Elyra signaled to the scouts, and they spread out, moving silently through the trees. Her heart beat faster as she felt the weight of the moment settle over her. She wasn't just hunting a man; she was hunting a betrayal.
And Kael had betrayed them all.
She rounded a thick cluster of trees and stopped dead in her tracks.
There, crouched low in the shadows, was Kael. His back was to her, his posture tense, as though he could feel her presence.
For a moment, Elyra froze. She had expected him to look like the enemy, to be an image of cold, ruthless ambition. But in the dim light, Kael looked different—haggard, broken, and utterly alone.
Her breath hitched, but she quickly smothered the impulse to hesitate.
"Kael!" she called out, her voice carrying through the trees.
His head snapped around, eyes narrowing as they locked on her. There was no surprise in his gaze—only recognition.
Elyra's heart pounded in her chest as she stepped forward, her hand gripping the hilt of her sword.
"Elyra," he said, his voice rough, as if he hadn't spoken in days. "I didn't think it would be you."
"Who else would it be?" Elyra shot back, her tone biting. "You've betrayed us all. You think you can just run and hide?"
Kael rose to his feet slowly, his movements careful, as though every part of him was bruised. "I'm not running," he said, the words heavier than they should have been. "I'm trying to survive."
"Survive?" Elyra's voice cracked, but she swallowed the emotion threatening to spill out. "You're a soldier of the king. You don't get to 'survive.' You made your choice when you pledged your loyalty."
Kael's eyes darkened. "I didn't choose this. I didn't choose to fight this war."
Elyra took a step forward, her fingers tightening around her sword. "You've killed my people. You've killed my comrades, and you'll answer for that."
For a brief moment, Kael's gaze softened, his lips parting as though he were about to say something. But then his expression hardened again, like a mask falling into place. "You don't know what you're talking about. You think I'm the enemy, but you're wrong. I'm trying to stop it."
Elyra froze, her breath catching in her throat. "What do you mean, stop it?"
Kael's eyes flickered toward the trees, as if weighing his next words carefully. "The king is using both of us. This war… it's all part of his plan to tighten his grip. He's sending us to die for nothing."
Elyra shook her head, her mind struggling to process what he was saying. "You're just making excuses, Kael. You chose this. You chose to follow him."
Kael's jaw tightened, and he took a slow, deliberate step toward her. "I didn't know what I was following. I didn't understand until it was too late."
Elyra's pulse raced as she raised her sword, but Kael didn't flinch. He only met her gaze, the faintest trace of regret flickering in his eyes.
"Is it too late now?" Elyra whispered, her heart warring between the desire for justice and the truth that was slowly taking root inside her.
Kael's voice was barely above a whisper. "It's never too late to change."
The air between them thickened with unspoken words, heavy with the weight of their shared history. Elyra's grip tightened on her sword, but she hesitated. The battle within her was fiercer than any war she had ever fought.
Then, before she could make a move, she heard the sound of footsteps—more of her scouts, closing in on them.
Elyra's heart stuttered. She had to make a choice.
"Run," Kael said, his voice urgent. "You're not going to win this fight. Not today. And not with me standing in your way."
Elyra didn't move. She didn't want to move. But the sound of her scouts drawing closer forced her hand.
She turned her back to Kael, her eyes lingering on him for a moment longer than she would have liked.
And then, without another word, Elyra disappeared into the woods, the weight of the decision hanging like a shadow over her soul.