Cassian's POV
"Magic?" I stared at Thalric like he'd lost his mind. "I don't have magic. I'm just—"
"A bastard? A nobody?" The dwarf snorted. "That's what they wanted ye to believe, lad. Now shut up and let me see yer back."
Before I could protest, he grabbed my shirt and yanked it up. His calloused fingers traced something on my skin—something I'd always thought were birthmarks.
"Suppression runes," Thalric muttered. "Expertly done. Whoever did this knew exactly what they were doing. These marks have been draining yer magic since ye were a babe."
"That's impossible—"
"Is it?" He spun me around, his eyes sharp. "Ever felt strange burning sensations? Nightmares about purple fire? Times when ye were angry and things near ye just... broke?"
My mouth went dry. Last winter, when Roderic had beaten me particularly badly, the fireplace had exploded. Everyone said it was a gas buildup. And the nightmares—I'd had them my whole life. Purple flames consuming everything.
"How do you know all this?"
"Because I knew yer real father, Marcus Thornwell. Good man. Honest lord. Had the Voidflame magic—rare power that runs in yer bloodline." Thalric's expression darkened. "Then his brother Aldric murdered him, stole the duchy, and branded ye with these runes to keep ye weak and controllable."
The ground tilted beneath me. "Aldric... killed my father?"
"Aye. And declared ye a bastard so no one would question why the rightful heir was being treated like dirt." Thalric grabbed my shoulders. "Ye're the true Duke of Thornwell, lad. Ye've got power in yer blood that could shake kingdoms. But right now, ye're just a wounded boy with angry enemies. So we need to move. NOW."
"Wait—what about Eryndra? I left her with Seraphine—"
"The orc lass?" Thalric shook his head. "If Seraphine caught her, she's already dead. If she escaped, she knows where to find us. Either way, standing here crying about it won't help."
Cold washed over me. Eryndra might be dead. Because of me. Because I collapsed the tunnel.
"I killed her."
"Ye saved yerself. That's what she wanted." Thalric pulled me toward the tree line. "Now come on. Every soldier in this kingdom will be hunting ye by morning. We need to get ye somewhere safe, remove those runes, and teach ye to fight proper."
"Where—"
"Questions later! Run now!"
We ran.
My shoulder screamed with every step. Blood soaked through Eryndra's bandage. But Thalric moved surprisingly fast for someone so old and short, and I had no choice but to keep up.
Behind us, I heard shouts. Torches in the darkness. Search parties.
We crashed through underbrush and streams, running until my lungs burned and my legs felt like jelly. Finally, as the sun began to rise, Thalric pulled me into a cave hidden behind a waterfall.
"We rest here," he said. "Just for a bit. Then we keep moving."
I collapsed against the stone wall, gasping. Everything hurt. My body. My heart. My entire understanding of reality.
"I need to go back," I said. "I need to find out if Eryndra—"
"Is dead or alive, there's nothing ye can do about it now." Thalric was preparing a small fire with practiced efficiency. "The orc saved yer life. Honor that by staying alive yerself."
"But—"
"No buts! Ye think she sacrificed herself so ye could throw it away on a suicide mission?" His voice softened. "If she's alive, she'll find us. Orcs are resourceful. If she's dead... then make her death mean something. Expose Seraphine. Stop this war. That's how ye honor her."
He was right. I hated it, but he was right.
I pulled out the blood-stained letter from my shirt. Seraphine's orders. Proof of her crimes.
"This could end the war," I said. "If people saw this—"
"They'd call it a forgery." Thalric poked the fire. "Seraphine is beloved. Ye're a traitor. Who's the kingdom going to believe? We need more than one letter, lad. We need allies. Evidence. Power."
"I don't have any of that."
"Not yet. But ye will." He studied me. "First, we remove those suppression runes. Awaken yer magic. Can't fight Seraphine with a rusty sword and good intentions."
"How long will that take?"
"To remove the runes? Minutes. To teach ye to control the power?" He grinned. "That's the hard part. Voidflame is dangerous magic, boy. Unstable. One wrong move and ye could burn yerself to ash—or worse, burn everything around ye."
Perfect. Just perfect.
"What if I can't control it?"
"Then ye die. But at least ye die fighting instead of on yer knees begging for mercy." Thalric stood. "Get some rest. Tonight, we begin yer transformation. By the time I'm done with ye, ye'll be dangerous enough that even Seraphine will think twice."
I wanted to believe him. But I was just a bastard who'd failed his first real battle. How was I supposed to become dangerous?
As if reading my thoughts, Thalric said, "Ye survived an ambush, a tunnel collapse, and Seraphine herself. Ye've got more fight in ye than ye realize. Now ye just need to learn to use it proper."
I closed my eyes, exhausted beyond words.
The last thing I remembered was Eryndra's face. Her amber eyes. The way she'd smiled when she called me stupid.
Please be alive, I thought. Please.
I woke to screams.
My eyes snapped open. The cave was dark—the fire dead. How long had I been asleep?
"Thalric?" I whispered.
No answer.
Then I heard it again. A scream. Human. Coming from outside the cave.
I grabbed my rusty sword and crept toward the waterfall entrance. Through the water, I could see torches. Lots of them.
Soldiers. At least twenty. They'd found us.
But they weren't alone.
My breath caught.
In the center of the soldier formation, on her knees with chains around her wrists, was Eryndra.
She was alive. Bloodied and beaten, but alive.
And standing over her, sword pressed to her throat, was Roderic.
My brother grinned when he saw me peeking through the waterfall. "Hello, bastard! I know you're in there! Come out, or I kill your monster friend right now!"
No. No, no, no—
"Ten seconds!" Roderic called. "Ten... nine... eight..."
Thalric grabbed my arm from the darkness. "Don't ye dare. It's a trap."
"They'll kill her!"
"And they'll kill ye too! That's the point!" His grip was iron. "Use yer head, lad!"
"Seven... six... five..."
I looked at Eryndra. Even chained and surrounded, her eyes met mine through the waterfall. She shook her head slowly.
Don't, her expression said. Don't throw away everything.
"Four... three... two..."
I pulled free from Thalric's grip.
"ONE!" Roderic raised his sword.
"WAIT!" I stepped through the waterfall, hands raised. "I'm here. Let her go."
Roderic's smile was poisonous victory. "There's the idiot I know and hate. Always so predictable, bastard."
Twenty swords pointed at me. Twenty soldiers between me and escape.
"Let her go," I repeated. "You want me. Fine. Take me. Just let her go."
"Oh, I'm taking you both." Roderic gestured, and soldiers grabbed me, yanking my arms behind my back. Chains bit into my wrists. "Did you really think I'd let either of you live? You saw too much. You know too much. And thanks to Commander Seraphine's orders, I have full authority to execute traitors on sight."
My blood ran cold. "Execute?"
"Right here. Right now." Roderic's smiled widened. "But first, I think I'll make you watch your orc friend die. As a special goodbye present from the family."
He raised his sword toward Eryndra's neck.
"NO!"
Something inside me broke.
Not my heart. Not my hope.
Something deeper. Something that had been locked away my entire life.
Heat exploded through my body. The suppression runes on my back burned like brands. Purple fire erupted from my hands, melting the chains like butter.
Everyone stumbled back, shouting in fear.
"What the—" Roderic stared at me, his face going pale.
Purple flames covered my arms. Voidflame. The power Thalric had talked about. Wild. Unstable. Terrifying.
And completely out of my control.
The fire spread. Trees caught flame. Soldiers screamed and ran. I tried to stop it, but I didn't know how. The power just kept pouring out, burning everything, consuming—
"CASSIAN!" Thalric's voice cut through the chaos. "Focus! Control it or ye'll kill everyone!"
But I couldn't focus. The power was too much. Too big. I was drowning in it.
The flames roared higher.
And in the purple fire, I saw Roderic running. Saw Eryndra breaking her own chains with inhuman strength. Saw soldiers fleeing for their lives.
Saw myself becoming the very monster they'd always said I was.
"CASSIAN!" Eryndra was suddenly there, grabbing my face, forcing me to look at her. "Breathe! You're not a monster! You're just scared! BREATHE!"
Her amber eyes. Steady. Certain. Real.
I breathed.
The flames... hesitated.
"That's it," she said. "Control it. Don't let it control you."
Slowly—so slowly—the fire began to shrink. Pull back. Until it was just small purple embers dancing on my fingertips.
Then it went out.
I collapsed.
Eryndra caught me. "I've got you. You're okay."
Around us, the forest smoldered. Half the soldiers were gone—fled or dead, I didn't know. The others lay unconscious. Roderic was nowhere to be seen.
Thalric emerged from the cave, shaking his head in amazement. "Well. That was impressive. Stupid and dangerous, but impressive."
"What happened?" I gasped.
"Ye broke the suppression runes through sheer emotion." Thalric grinned. "Congratulations, lad. Ye've got yer power. Now ye just need to learn not to accidentally kill everyone with it."
Eryndra helped me stand. She was smiling—actually smiling. "You came back for me, you idiot."
"I couldn't leave you."
"I told you not to."
"I don't follow orders well."
She laughed. Then her expression turned serious. "But you saved me. With magic I didn't know you had. So... thank you."
Before I could respond, horns blared in the distance.
More soldiers. Lots more.
"Time to go," Thalric said grimly. "That little light show just told every army unit for ten miles exactly where we are."
We ran again. Together this time.
But as we fled into the wilderness, one thought kept echoing in my mind:
I had power now. Real power.
The question was—would I learn to control it before it destroyed everything I was trying to save?