The Veil stretched before them, calmer now that the Council outpost had been destroyed. Lia walked alongside Kael, her muscles aching from the battle but her spirit bolstered by their success.
"You handled yourself well back there," Kael said, her tone light. "You're not as green as I thought."
Lia shot her a look. "I've been running from the Council for weeks. Fighting them is nothing new."
Kael chuckled. "Fair enough. But you've got something most people don't."
"What's that?"
"Fire," Kael said simply. "A will to keep going, no matter what. That's rare in this world."
Lia felt a flicker of pride but kept her expression neutral. "Let's just hope it's enough."
---
The day wore on, the two of them navigating the shifting terrain with growing ease. Lia couldn't help but notice how effortlessly Kael moved through the Veil, as if she were attuned to its strange rhythms.
"How do you know so much about the Veil?" Lia asked after a while.
Kael hesitated, her confident demeanor faltering for a brief moment. "Let's just say I've spent a lot of time here. The Veil has a way of drawing in people like me—people with nowhere else to go."
Lia frowned. "And what were you running from?"
Kael smirked, but it didn't reach her eyes. "That's a story for another time."
Lia didn't press further, though the answer left a nagging sense of unease in her chest.
---
As the sunless sky of the Veil began to dim, they stumbled upon an abandoned camp nestled in a cluster of jagged rocks. It looked like it hadn't been used in years, but the remnants of a firepit and a few scattered supplies suggested it had once been a refuge for travelers.
"We'll rest here," Kael said, already setting down her pack.
Lia nodded, sinking onto a smooth rock and setting her staff beside her. The day's events had taken a toll, and exhaustion weighed heavily on her.
Kael rummaged through her pack, pulling out a small bundle of dried meat and handing a piece to Lia. "Eat. You'll need your strength."
Lia accepted it gratefully, the salty flavor reviving her a little. They ate in companionable silence, the crackling of a small fire Kael had started filling the quiet.
As the firelight flickered across Kael's face, Lia's unease from earlier resurfaced. She studied her companion carefully, trying to read the emotions behind her confident facade.
"Kael," Lia began hesitantly, "why are you really helping me?"
Kael met her gaze, her green eyes unreadable. "I told you, I don't like the Council. And you're fighting them, so we're on the same side."
"Are we?" Lia pressed, her voice soft but firm. "I don't even know who you are."
Kael sighed, running a hand through her short hair. "Look, I get it. Trust doesn't come easy when you're carrying the kind of power you have. But I'm not your enemy, Lia. If I wanted the Heart, I'd have taken it by now."
Lia frowned but didn't respond. Her instincts told her Kael was being truthful, yet something about her remained… off.
---
Later, as Lia lay beneath the strange, starless sky of the Veil, sleep eluded her. The fire had burned down to embers, and Kael was a motionless silhouette on the other side of the camp.
A faint noise broke the silence—a whisper of movement, so soft it could have been the wind. But Lia's senses were sharper now, honed by weeks of danger. She sat up, her hand instinctively reaching for her staff.
The sound came again, and this time, Lia pinpointed its source. Kael was no longer in her bedroll.
Lia's heart raced as she rose quietly, her eyes scanning the camp. A shadow moved at the edge of the firelight, and Lia followed it, her steps careful and silent.
Kael stood a short distance away, her back to Lia as she spoke into what appeared to be a small, glowing orb.
"She's more powerful than we thought," Kael was saying, her voice low. "The Heart has bonded with her completely. If we move now, we can—"
Lia's blood turned to ice.
"Kael?" she called out, her voice cutting through the stillness.
Kael froze, the orb's glow vanishing as she turned to face Lia. "Lia. I—"
"What was that?" Lia demanded, her staff glowing faintly in her hand.
Kael hesitated, her expression torn between guilt and defiance. "It's not what you think."
"Then explain," Lia said, her voice shaking with anger.
Kael stepped closer, her hands raised in a placating gesture. "I was reporting back to someone—a group that's also fighting the Council. They're interested in the Heart, yes, but they're not your enemies. I swear."
"How can I believe you?" Lia snapped. "You've been lying to me this whole time."
"I didn't lie," Kael insisted. "I didn't tell you everything, but that's because I didn't know if I could trust you."
Lia's grip on her staff tightened. "Trust works both ways, Kael. And right now, I don't know if I can trust you at all."
Kael's green eyes softened, her voice pleading. "Lia, I'm on your side. The people I'm working with—they can help us. They want to stop the Council just as much as you do."
Lia's heart warred with her instincts. Kael's words rang with sincerity, but the betrayal cut deep. Could she afford to take the risk of keeping her close?
"Why didn't you tell me?" Lia asked finally, her voice quieter now.
Kael sighed. "Because I was afraid you'd push me away. And because I didn't know if you were ready to hear the truth. But I'm telling you now—I want to help you, Lia. You have to believe me."
Lia stared at her for a long moment, the firelight casting shadows across Kael's face.
"I'll give you one chance," Lia said at last, her voice firm. "But if you betray me again, you'll regret it."
Kael nodded solemnly. "I won't let you down."
As Lia returned to her bedroll, her mind was a storm of conflicting emotions. Kael's betrayal had shaken her, but the fight against the Council was far from over. She would need allies, no matter how fragile the trust between them.
And deep down, she couldn't shake the feeling that Kael was hiding more than she let on.