Chapter 13: The First Strike

The decision was made.

Faye was done running.

She still felt the pain in her ribs, the dull ache from her wounds, but the fire inside her burned hotter. They wanted her erased? They wanted to finish what they started centuries ago?

Then they would learn why the Frostborn were feared.

She sat up fully, wincing as Kael steadied her. His hands were firm but careful, his golden eyes scanning her face for any sign of hesitation. He found none.

"Do you even know what you're saying?" Riven's voice was sharp, his posture rigid. "You were just half-dead an hour ago, and now you're talking about fighting back?"

Faye met his glare with an unwavering stare. "You think waiting will save us? They sent Wraithborn after me, Riven. That means they're done playing. They don't want me captured, they want me dead."

Riven clenched his jaw, his hands curling into fists.

"She's right." Kael's voice was quiet but firm. "We need to move before they do."

Lyra exhaled, shaking her head. "I can't believe I'm agreeing with Kael, but yeah, waiting isn't an option." She tilted her head at Faye. "But first, we need to know exactly who's pulling the strings. You're being hunted by multiple factions, Faye. The Dominion, the Wraithborn, and the rogue riders. Someone is making sure all of them are aiming for you."

Faye frowned. Lyra wasn't wrong. This wasn't just one faction hunting her—this was coordinated.

"…which means someone knows more about me than even I do," Faye murmured.

Silence.

Then Kael's voice, quiet and unreadable. "And I think I know who."

The Hidden Puppeteer

Kael hadn't spoken for a long time after that. Not until they had moved deeper into the ruins, away from any potential eyes watching them.

Only when the fire had burned low, and the night had settled, did he finally break the silence.

"The Veiled Empress."

Faye stiffened.

Riven cursed. "Of course it's her."

Lyra groaned, rubbing a hand down her face. "Because things weren't already bad enough."

Faye's mind raced. She had heard the name before, whispered in hushed warnings, spoken in the shadows of courts and battlefields. The Veiled Empress—the unseen ruler of a thousand hidden hands, the master of deception and control.

"She operates through proxies," Kael said. "Manipulating rulers, bending warlords, orchestrating assassinations. If she's involved in this…"

"Then we're already ten steps behind," Riven finished grimly.

Faye gritted her teeth.

This wasn't just about her.

This was about control. The Veiled Empress wasn't hunting her just for her bloodline—she was making sure that every faction that could oppose her was too busy chasing Faye to fight back.

The Wraithborn. The Dominion. The rogue dragon riders. They were all being played.

She exhaled slowly, a fierce determination settling in her bones.

"Then we force her hand," Faye said.

Kael lifted a brow. "And how exactly do you plan to do that?"

Faye's blue eyes gleamed in the firelight. "Simple."

She turned to Lyra.

"You said the rogue dragon riders are hunting me?"

Lyra blinked. "Yeah?"

Faye smiled.

"Then we let them find me."

By dawn, the plan was in motion.

They had chosen the Ruins of Valcorne—a stretch of broken towers and forgotten battlefields, where countless dragon riders had once fought and died. A place filled with whispers of lost wars.

Lyra had scouted ahead, confirming that a war-band of rogue riders was closing in.

"They've got at least ten riders," she reported. "Fire, wind, storm, and one earth. No frost."

Good.

Faye shifted in her saddle, ignoring the ache in her ribs. Talis was restless beneath her, sensing the coming battle.

Kael's voice was low. "Are you sure about this?"

Faye met his gaze. She had never been more certain of anything.

She reached down, running a hand along Talis's massive neck.

"Let them come."

They came at dusk.

The first sign was the whirl of wings in the distance, the shimmer of dragon-fire in the sky.

Then—a deafening roar.

The rogue riders descended in a storm of chaos, their dragons tearing through the sky.

Faye didn't hesitate.

"TALIS!"

Her Frost Dragon unleashed a blast of freezing mist, coating the air in ice. The first attacker never even had a chance to scream before his dragon's wings froze solid—sending both rider and beast plummeting to the ruins below.

Lyra was a blur of motion, Emberfang tearing through a storm rider with brutal force.

Kael and Riven moved in sync, weaving through the chaos. Voidfang struck from the shadows, silent and deadly.

Faye's pulse thundered.

She had baited them here. Now it was time to finish it.

Her gaze locked onto the rogue leader—a scarred warrior atop a red-scaled brute.

He bared his teeth. "You should've stayed hidden, Frostborn."

Faye smiled.

Then she launched herself into battle.