Pain and agony.
It was the first thing Faye registered when she surfaced from the darkness. A dull, bone-deep agony radiated from her ribs, her limbs stiff and aching. Each breath was a struggle, sharp and shallow.
The second thing she noticed was the cold stone beneath her. It wasn't the biting, familiar cold of Talis's presence—it was damp, unwelcoming.
She forced her eyes open.
A cavern. Dimly lit, damp, and filled with the scent of earth and smoke. Shadows flickered against the walls, thrown by torches wedged into jagged cracks. The low rumble of voices echoed through the space.
Her wrists were bound.
A surge of panic flared in her chest, but she forced it down. Panic was useless. Panic got people killed.
She exhaled slowly, testing her restraints. Leather cords, not iron. That meant she had a chance—if she could find the right moment.
Where was Talis?
The last thing she remembered was falling—Kael's silhouette cutting through the sky, his dragon diving toward her.
Had he reached her in time?
A movement in the shadows caught her eye.
A figure stepped forward, and her pulse spiked.
It wasn't the rogue leader.
It was worse.
The Veiled Empress.
Faye had only heard whispers of her—a woman who ruled from the shadows, manipulating rulers, kings, and assassins alike. Some claimed she wasn't real, that she was merely a myth, an excuse for inexplicable disappearances and betrayals.
But she was real.
And she was standing right in front of Faye.
She was tall, draped in flowing black and silver silk, her face obscured by an elaborate veil. The fabric shimmered like mist in the torchlight, shifting as if woven from something unnatural.
When she spoke, her voice was smooth, almost soothing.
"You've caused quite the mess, Frostborn."
Faye's fingers twitched against her bindings, but she kept her expression blank. Don't let her see your fear.
"I do my best," she rasped. Her throat was dry, her body screaming for water.
The Empress tilted her head. "You've survived longer than I expected. I was beginning to think the bounty on your head wasn't high enough."
Faye exhaled slowly. So that was it.
They weren't just hunting her for sport. They wanted her dead for a reason.
The rogue leader's attack, the way he fought—they weren't mercenaries looking for gold. They were trained, prepared.
This was something bigger.
"Why?" Faye asked, voice hoarse. "What makes me worth all this trouble?"
The Empress stepped closer, crouching until she was level with Faye. Even through the veil, Faye could feel her gaze piercing into her.
She traced a single gloved finger along Faye's cheek, brushing over the dried blood.
Then she murmured, almost fondly, "Because you shouldn't exist."
Faye's mind raced.
She had always known she was different.
The exile. The forbidden bloodline. The power that had no right to be hers.
But this?
She forced herself to stay still, to keep her expression unreadable. "I'm flattered," she said dryly. "But you'll have to be more specific."
The Empress chuckled softly. "Oh, Faye… you already know, don't you?"
Faye's jaw tightened.
Shadowflame.
The one element that shouldn't exist in the hands of a rider. Magic that belonged to something ancient, something lost.
And yet—it was hers.
The Empress rose to her feet, turning away as if bored. "You were meant to be erased before you could awaken. But here you are, bonded to the last Frost Dragon, wielding magic that should have died with the ancients."
She turned her head slightly, voice dropping to something almost gentle.
"The world is already shifting because of you. And there are those who will stop at nothing to correct that mistake."
Faye's pulse pounded.
She wasn't just being hunted.
She was being erased.
A sudden commotion erupted outside the cavern. The guards tensed, hands moving to their weapons.
Then—footsteps. Heavy, deliberate.
The entrance darkened.
Kael stepped inside.
Faye's breath caught.
His armor was battered, his cloak torn. Blood—fresh, dark—streaked his face. But his eyes… they were cold. Distant.
The guards didn't stop him.
He walked straight up to the Empress and knelt.
Faye felt something inside her crack.
No.
Not him.
The Empress hummed in approval. "You did well, Kael."
Faye's heart slammed against her ribs. Did well?
Kael's gaze flicked to her—just for a fraction of a second. Then, he looked away.
"I brought her to you," he said, voice unreadable.
Faye's fingers curled into fists.
Kael… had betrayed her.