Chapter 15: Fire and Truth

The catacombs smelled of old ash and bone.

Leia pressed her palm to the stone wall, guiding Cassian through the darkness. His breathing was shallow. The arrows had been removed, but he leaned heavily on her.

“Stop pretending you’re not dying,” she whispered.

“I’m... managing.”

“You’re delirious.”

“I’m charming.”

She rolled her eyes but didn’t let go.

---

Deeper in the tunnels, the narrow walls opened into a cavern.

Murals covered the stone—faded but intact. Leia lifted a torch and gasped.

Painted in blood and gold were images of two figures: a human seer and a massive wolf-warlord, hands joined before a silver moon. Beneath them, dark vines twisted toward a burning city.

Cassian blinked. “Is that...?”

Leia nodded. “The first cursed pair.”

She stepped closer. “They weren’t monsters. They were lovers. One human, one wolfblood. Their union triggered the ancient fear of mixed blood. The council hunted them. Called it abomination.”