Kael's sacrifice

Chapter 16

Elaris

The night air was thick with tension, the weight of unseen eyes pressing down on us like a curse. The temple loomed behind us, ancient and foreboding, but the true threat lay ahead—shadows shifting in unnatural ways, eyes gleaming with an eerie glow. The mystical figures had come, their presence humming with dark energy.

Kael stepped forward, his sword already drawn. My heart clenched.

"Kael, don't—" I reached for him, but he turned just enough to look at me, his expression unreadable.

"You're stronger than you think, Elaris," he said, his voice low, steady. "But strength isn't just power. It's knowing when to let go."

His words hit me like a strike to the chest. Let go? No. I wouldn't. I couldn't.

"We fight together," I insisted, stepping beside him, but Kael lifted his hand.

"No." His voice was final. "This is my battle."

The figures moved, slithering and stalking forward, their forms shifting like smoke and shadows. Kael raised his sword higher, his stance unwavering.

"Roran," he commanded without looking back, "get her out of here."

"No!" I fought against the hands that grabbed my arm, but Roran was quick. He wrapped an arm around my waist, dragging me back.

"Marlik, help me—" My words cut off when I was lifted forcefully. Not by Roran.

Marlik.

His arms were firm, his hold unyielding. There was no hesitation, no words—just the raw strength that tore me from the fight.

"Let me go!" I screamed, thrashing, my eyes burning as Kael rushed forward, meeting the first wave of the creatures. His sword clashed against something inhuman, a burst of unnatural light illuminating his figure.

But I couldn't reach him.

Marlik threw me onto the horse as if I weighed nothing, swinging himself up behind me.

Then Kael screamed.

It wasn't a cry of fear—it was war, it was defiance. His sword sliced through one of the creatures, but another wrapped around him, dark tendrils constricting.

I reached out uselessly as we galloped away. My last glimpse of Kael was of him standing his ground, fighting until he was consumed.

And then he was gone.

The camp was silent, save for the crackling of the small fire. My body felt frozen, but my mind was in a storm.

Kael was gone.

The only person I had trusted.

The one who had guided me, taught me, protected me.

And I had left him behind.

I stared at the dagger in my hands, my fingers trembling. How much more blood had to be spilled for this? How much more would be taken from me?

I felt hollow, cursed, a burden to those around me.

A shift beside me.

Marlik.

He sat close, his presence imposing yet silent. He hadn't spoken since we escaped. Hadn't reacted to Kael's death. Hadn't said a word while I shattered in silence.

I turned to him, expecting nothing—maybe even resenting his lack of grief. But then his hand reached up, brushing against my face.

The roughness of his fingers met my skin as he wiped a tear away.

Then another.

His touch lingered longer than it should have.

Before I could understand it, his lips followed. A slow, deliberate kiss at the corner of my eye, chasing the path of my grief.

My breath caught, confusion warring with the ache in my chest. He didn't speak. He just touched, his hands tracing the weight of my sorrow, grounding me in ways words never could.

Then his lips met mine.

Soft. Unhurried. A quiet storm that demanded no answer but offered something I wasn't ready to name.

My fingers curled against his tunic, torn between resisting and falling into the abyss of my own pain.

Then—

A rustling.

A sudden, sharp movement nearby.

We broke apart, breathing heavy, the firelight flickering over our faces. My mind snapped back to reality. Kael was dead. The dagger was ours. The battle ahead waited for no moment of weakness.

Marlik pulled away, his face unreadable once more.

And just like that, whatever had almost happened between us—whatever had almost consumed me—vanished.

We had a war to prepare for.