Chapter 9: The Thread That Binds

The chamber's obsidian walls seemed to close in as Kaelen stared at the Oath Collar, its silver runes glinting like eyes in the dim light. The air was cold, heavy with the metallic tang of the moons' fractured glow filtering through the glass dome. His silver veins pulsed beneath his sleeves, a steady burn that matched the ache in his bones, and Lira's whisper lingered in his mind—Trust me, sweet boy—a thread he couldn't cut loose. Selis and Thorne stood beside him, their breaths visible in the chill, their defiance a fragile shield against Lady Yverin's parting words: There's no escape."We can't stay here," Selis said, her voice low and firm, breaking the silence. She sheathed her dagger, her hazel eyes darting to the collar, then back to Kaelen. "They'll come for you—tonight, tomorrow, doesn't matter. We need to move.""Where?" Kaelen asked, his voice rough, still reeling from the revelation. A vessel, not a Moonbinder—constructed, not chosen. The words clawed at him, unraveling everything he'd thought he was. "She said it—the Threads bind me here. To her." He tapped his temple, where Lira's presence coiled, silent now but watching.Thorne gripped his sword, his knuckles white. "Then we break the damn Threads. Get you out, get Nyari, find somewhere they can't reach."Selis snorted, crossing her arms. "You think the Empire's reach ends at the sea? The Crescent Chain's got eyes everywhere—Nareth, the floating cities, the northern wastes. We need a plan, not a sprint."Kaelen pushed off the wall, pacing the chamber, the obsidian floor smooth under his boots. "A plan needs a destination. And time. We've got neither." He stopped, staring at the collar, its runes flaring faintly. "She said they're coming. The Chain knows I'm… awake.""Awake and mine," Lira purred, her voice slithering back. "They'll chain you, drain you, leave you hollow. Run, yes, but take me with you. I can help."He clenched his fists, shoving her down, the veins glowing hotter. "I don't trust her," he muttered, half to himself. "Lira. She's in me, pushing me. Wants something."Selis's eyes narrowed, sharp as her dagger. "The last Moonbinder? You're sure it's her?""Sure as I can be," he said, meeting her gaze. "Found a vault—three nights back. A shard of the moon she broke. She spoke to me, said we're bound. Now this." He gestured to the collar, the chamber, the weight of it all.Thorne whistled low, sheathing his sword. "That's a hell of a mess, scribe. She's what they want back?""Seems like it," Kaelen said, his throat tight. "I'm just the door."Selis stepped closer, her braid swinging. "Then we shut the door. Get you out before they open it. Nyari's with us—she'll know a way. She's been here longer, seen more.""Nyari can't talk," Thorne pointed out, frowning. "How's she gonna tell us?""She'll show us," Selis said, her tone brooking no argument. "She's got her runes, her book. She's smarter than both of you combined."Kaelen nodded, Nyari's steady presence a lifeline in his memory. "Fine. We get her, then what? The academy's floating—sea all around, no roads, no boats.""There's a way," Selis said, her voice dropping to a whisper. "The library—I found more than the ledger. A map, old, half-burned. It showed tunnels—under the academy, into the bedrock. Something about a 'World-Thread.'""A what?" Thorne asked, leaning in."No idea," she admitted, frustration flickering across her face. "But it's big—bigger than the Threads we weave. The map called it 'the spine of reality.' If we find it, maybe we can use it."Kaelen's stomach twisted, the ache in his bones flaring at the words. "World-Thread," Lira echoed, her tone shifting—curious, hungry. "Oh, they've kept that quiet. A leyline, alive, holding this place together. Break it, and you break their chains.""Break it?" he muttered, then caught himself as Selis and Thorne stared. "Lira—she's talking. Says it's a leyline. Alive. Says breaking it could free us."Selis's eyes widened, then hardened. "Free us—or destroy everything. We're not breaking anything until we know what it is.""Agreed," Thorne said, his hand back on his sword. "But if it's a way out, I'm in. Let's get Nyari and move."They left the chamber, the stair spiraling up to the Strand Chamber, its gouged tiles silent underfoot. The orbs pulsed faintly, the moons' light cold through the dome. The academy felt emptier than ever, its halls a maze of shadows and whispers. Kaelen led them to Nyari's room, his veins glowing enough to light the way, the ache a steady drumbeat urging him on.He knocked—soft, urgent—and the door creaked open. Nyari stood there, her gray cloak rumpled, her silver-gray eyes wide with something like relief. Her book was open, a rune glowing on the page—Danger—and she gestured them inside, shutting the door fast."More gone," she wrote, her fingers tracing runes in the air, silver and swift. "Twenty-five now. Heard screams—below.""Below?" Selis asked, leaning over the book. "The tunnels?"Nyari nodded, tracing another rune—Yes—then flipped to a page in her book, a rough sketch of the academy's base, lines snaking downward. She tapped one, labeled in faint ink: World-Thread."That's it," Selis said, her voice tight. "You've been there?"Nyari shook her head, tracing—No. Felt it. Hums. Alive.—and pointed to her chest, mirroring Kaelen's ache."I feel it too," he said, rubbing his sternum. "Since I got here. Stronger now.""Because you're close," Lira whispered, her presence thickening. "It's power, raw and old. They've tethered the academy to it—kept it sleeping. Wake it, and you'll see.""See what?" he muttered, then waved off Selis's sharp look. "She's pushing again. Says the World-Thread's alive, tethered here. Wants me to wake it."Thorne frowned, glancing at Nyari. "That sound right?"She hesitated, then traced—Maybe. Dangerous. Could unravel.—her eyes flicking to Kaelen, worry etched in their silver depths."Unravel what?" Selis pressed, but Nyari only shook her head, closing her book."We don't have time to guess," Thorne said, pacing the small room. "If it's a way out, we take it. Screams below mean they're doing something—collaring, sacrificing, whatever. We're next if we stay."Kaelen nodded, the ache a fire now, pulling him toward the unknown. "Where's the entrance?"Nyari reopened her book, pointing to the sketch—a spot beneath the library, marked with a crescent rune. "Hidden. Locked. Threads guard it.""Then we break in," Selis said, her voice steel. "Tonight. Before they come for him."They gathered what they could—Kaelen's torn cloak, Thorne's sword, Selis's dagger, Nyari's book—and slipped into the corridor, the academy's silence a shroud. The library was a short walk, its arched doors unguarded, its shelves looming in the dim light of floating orbs. Nyari led them to a corner, a stone wall etched with faint runes, and pressed her hand against it, her threads weaving a delicate key of light. The wall shuddered, then parted, revealing a stair descending into darkness.Kaelen went first, his veins glowing bright, the ache a roar in his chest. The air grew thick, damp, the walls rough and pulsing with silver threads—thicker here, alive, weaving patterns that shifted like breathing lungs. The stair ended at a tunnel, its floor uneven, its ceiling low, and the hum was deafening now, a vibration that rattled his teeth."There," Lira said, her voice eager. "Feel it—the World-Thread. It's waking."He did—a pulse, deep and vast, beneath his feet, threading through the stone. The tunnel widened, opening into a cavern, its walls glistening with moisture, its center dominated by a chasm. And there, spanning it, was the World-Thread—a massive cord of silver light, thick as a tree trunk, pulsing with a rhythm that shook the air. It stretched into the darkness above and below, alive, its surface rippling like water, its power a tide that crashed against Kaelen's senses."Holy hells," Thorne breathed, stopping beside him. "That's… what is that?""The spine of reality," Selis whispered, her eyes wide. "It's holding this place up."Nyari clutched her book, tracing—Alive. Angry. Sleeping.—her fingers trembling."Not for long," Lira laughed, her presence surging. "Touch it, Kaelen. Wake it. Free us."He stepped closer, the chasm's edge crumbling under his boots, the World-Thread's hum drowning out everything—fear, doubt, the others' voices. His veins blazed, the ache a fire that begged release. He reached out, fingers brushing the light, and it surged, a shockwave of power that threw him back, slamming him into the stone."Kaelen!" Selis shouted, rushing to him, but the cavern trembled, dust raining from the ceiling. The World-Thread pulsed faster, its silver deepening to red, and a crack split the air—a sound like reality tearing."Yes," Lira crowed, her voice wild. "It's waking!"He scrambled up, breath ragged, the ache a storm in his chest. "What did I do?"Nyari traced—Stirred it. Dangerous.—her eyes frantic."We need to go," Thorne said, grabbing his arm. "Now!"The cavern shook again, the World-Thread's light flaring, and Kaelen stumbled after them, Lira's laughter ringing in his skull. They'd found a way out—or a way to break everything—and the line between freedom and ruin was thinning fast.