Chapter 7: Whispers of the Past

The storm raged behind them, but Faye had no time to dwell on the battle.

Talis's wings carried her away from the ruined sky, his powerful form cutting through the howling winds. Below, the battlefield stretched endlessly—fires flickering across the shattered land, the distant roars of dragons still clashing in the chaos.

Yet her thoughts weren't on the war-torn ground.

Her mind remained locked on him.

The golden-eyed rider had vanished into the shadows.

She had seen it—the way his form had folded into the dark, the unnatural way the wind had swallowed his presence.

It was impossible.

There were only two known forces in the world that could command shadow like that.

The Veiled Empress.

And—

Her.

Faye's grip tightened on the saddle.

She had spent years learning to control her Shadowflame, understanding its hunger, its need to consume. It was a power feared across every kingdom, and for good reason.

If this rider had vanished into shadow so effortlessly—what did that mean?

Talis let out a low, guttural growl, his unease mirroring her own.

"I know," she muttered, running a hand along his icy scales.

But before she could say anything more, a voice cut through the wind.

"You look like you've seen a ghost."

Faye's head snapped toward the source.

Kael.

The rogue dragon rider soared beside her, his dark armor gleaming beneath the storm-lit sky.

His dragon, Voidfang, moved like a wraith through the night, its translucent violet scales rippling against the wind.

Kael's silver eyes studied her, unreadable.

"Did you see him disappear?" she asked.

His jaw tightened. "Yes."

Silence hung between them.

Kael wasn't one to jump to conclusions. He was meticulous, calculating—but even he looked troubled.

"It wasn't a trick, was it?" she pressed.

"No." His voice was quieter now. "It was something else."

A chill ran down her spine—one that had nothing to do with the wind.

Kael wouldn't say it outright. But she could hear it in his tone.

Something old had stirred in that battle.

Something neither of them understood yet.

And whatever it was—

It was watching them now.