Chapter 06
The battlefield lay silent in the aftermath of Kael’s attack. Smoke curled lazily into the sky, mingling with the acrid stench of burning metal and ozone. The world tilted as Lila’s body crumpled to the ground, her vision dimming. The last thing she saw was Ronan, his silver eyes wild with fury as he lunged toward Kael.
Pain erupted in her side, sharp and searing, but consciousness fled before she could register much more.
When she awoke, the world was muted. The sound of muffled voices filtered through her foggy mind, and a faint antiseptic smell stung her nose. She blinked, her vision swimming before focusing on the cracked ceiling of a makeshift medical bay.
“Lila?”
The voice was familiar, warm with an edge of urgency. She turned her head and saw Ronan leaning over her. His armor was battered, streaked with blood and soot, and his usually sharp features were softened by worry.
“You’re alive,” he said, his voice rough with relief.
She managed a weak smile. “Barely.”
“You shouldn’t have run out there,” he said, his tone somewhere between anger and gratitude.
“And you shouldn’t have gotten knocked on your ass,” she countered, her voice rasping.
For a moment, the tension between them dissolved into quiet relief. But then the weight of the battle came crashing down, and Ronan’s expression hardened.
“You’ve been marked, Lila,” he said quietly. “Our bond saved you. If it hadn’t...”
Her fingers brushed the faintly glowing mark on her neck. The heat was gone, replaced by a dull thrum that echoed in her chest. “I guess I owe you one,” she murmured.
“More than one,” he replied, his lips quirking into a faint smile.
While Lila recovered, Ronan called an emergency council meeting to discuss their next move. The conversation turned, inevitably, to Kael.
“What do we know about them?” Lila asked, her voice still weak but sharp.
Ronan’s expression darkened. “The Syndicate uses emissaries like Kael to infiltrate and destabilize worlds. But Kael is different—more ruthless, more personal.”
Varen, the wiry strategist, stepped forward. “Kael wasn’t always with the Syndicate. Years ago, they were a general in the Threnaxian Empire. Brilliant, cunning, but ambitious to a fault. When the plague decimated Threnax, they allied with the Syndicate to secure their survival. Some say they betrayed their own people to do it.”
Lila frowned. “Why would they care about Ronan? This seems personal.”
“It is,” Ronan admitted, his voice low. “Kael and I served together. Before the plague, we were allies. Friends, even. When the infection spread, I refused the Syndicate’s offer. Kael didn’t. They see my survival—and my refusal to join them—as an affront.”
The room fell silent, the weight of Ronan’s words settling heavily on everyone.
The meeting was interrupted by a commotion outside. Soldiers dragged a struggling figure into the hall, tossing them to the ground before Ronan’s feet.
“Dara,” Lila whispered, her eyes widening.
The young advisor glared up at them, her face streaked with dirt and sweat. “This is a mistake,” she spat. “I’m loyal to the king.”
“Enough,” Ronan said coldly. He stepped forward, his towering presence casting a long shadow over Dara. “We intercepted your communication with Izael. You told them about the northern gate. You led them to our weakest point.”
“I had no choice!” Dara snapped, her voice breaking. “Do you think I wanted to betray you? Izael would have killed my family if I didn’t.”
“You could have come to me,” Ronan said, his voice low and dangerous.
“And risk them killing my brother before you could act?” Tears streamed down her face, but her expression was defiant. “I did what I had to do to keep him alive.”
Lila stepped forward, her heart aching despite her anger. “Dara, you’ve put everyone here in danger. How can we trust you now?”
“You can’t,” Dara admitted, her voice trembling. “But I didn’t tell them about the Syndicate’s attack. That wasn’t me.”
Ronan’s gaze narrowed. “Then who did?”
Dara shook her head. “I don’t know. But if there’s another traitor, they’re still out there.”
Before they could process Dara’s revelation, an alarm blared through the palace.
“They’re back,” Varen said grimly, glancing at the monitor. “Syndicate forces, moving fast.”
Ronan turned to Lila, his silver eyes hard with determination. “Stay here.”
“No,” she said firmly, grabbing the blade she’d begun carrying everywhere. “I’m coming with you.”
He started to argue, but one look at her resolved expression told him it was pointless.
The palace shook as Syndicate forces breached the outer defenses. Lila and Ronan fought side by side, their movements instinctively synchronized. She watched him unleash his power, his glowing energy slicing through the enemy like a storm. But for every soldier he cut down, two more seemed to take their place.
Kael appeared in the chaos, their black armor gleaming as they strode toward Ronan.
“Round two?” Ronan growled, his blade at the ready.
Kael tilted their helmeted head. “You’re persistent. I’ll give you that. But persistence only delays the inevitable.”
Their clash was brutal, the sound of their weapons ringing through the battlefield. Kael’s movements were swift and precise, matching Ronan blow for blow.
But Ronan wasn’t fighting alone.
Lila darted in from the side, her blade catching Kael’s arm. Sparks flew as the weapon struck metal, and Kael stumbled, momentarily off balance.
“You brought your little human to the fight,” Kael sneered, recovering quickly. “How quaint.”
“She’s more than you’ll ever understand,” Ronan shot back, his voice filled with conviction.
The battle raged on, the tide turning in their favor as Ronan’s forces rallied.
When the dust settled, the Syndicate forces retreated, leaving behind only wreckage and silence. Ronan and Lila stood amidst the chaos, their breaths ragged, their bodies battered but unbroken.
“You’re reckless,” Ronan said, his voice rough but laced with admiration.
“And you’re stubborn,” Lila replied, a faint smile tugging at her lips.
He reached out, brushing a strand of hair from her face. “I meant what I said before, Lila. You make me feel alive.”
Her heart raced as she met his gaze. “And you make me feel like I can do more than just survive.”
He pulled her into his arms, his lips capturing hers in a kiss that was equal parts passion and relief. For a moment, the weight of the war faded, leaving only the bond between them.