The tunnel breathed. That was the first thing Lyra noticed as they moved deeper,an almost imperceptible rise and fall in the air, as if the city above slept and this place dreamed for it. The walls were damp, carved from dark stone veined with minerals that caught her faint glow and scattered it into fractured reflections.
Kael walked ahead, unhurried, as though guards were not combing the streets above for the light she could not fully suppress. You could have warned me, Lyra said quietly. "About the Council. I could have, he replied. I didn't know you were Starborn until you flared. That doesn't make this better. No, he agreed. "But it makes it honest. They followed the tunnel as it curved downward, the ceiling lowering in places until Lyra had to duck. Symbols emerged from the stone older than the ones Kael had used in the alley. These were not decorative. They were functional. Containment marks. Wards layered atop wards, eroded but not broken. Who built this?" she asked. People who knew the city would someday hunt its own," Kael said. "And wanted an exit. The words settled heavily between them.
After a time, the tunnel widened into a chamber supported by thick pillars. Crates and old bedrolls lay stacked against one wall. A lantern hung from a hook, unlit. Kael stopped and turned, studying her more carefully now than he had in the alley.
"Sit," he said.
"I'm not injured."
You're burning from the inside, he corrected. "Sit. She hesitated, then lowered herself onto a stone bench. The cold seeped through her clothes, grounding her. Kael knelt opposite her and produced a small vial from his coat. This will help, he said. "Not suppress. Stabilize. I don't take unknown substances from strangers.That's wise, he said mildly. "It's distilled frostroot and ash-salt. Old recipe. Slows energy bleed. She searched his face for deception and found only restraint. That unsettled her more than lies.
She took the vial and drank. The effect was immediate,not numbing, but clarifying. The constant pressure beneath her skin eased, settling into something quieter, more contained.
She exhaled slowly.
You've done this before, she said. Helped people like you? Kael shook his head. "No. People hunted by the Council? Yes. Lyra's gaze sharpened. "How many?"
"Enough."
Silence followed, thick and weighted.
"What are you?" she asked finally.
Kael leaned back against a pillar. Someone who made the mistake of learning too much.
"That's not an answer."
"It's the safest one."
She stood, pacing the chamber. The Starfire pulsed faintly now, responding to her movement. You said the Council suspects Starborn. Why now? Because the sky is changing," Kael said,She stopped. "The eclipse.
Yes.
The memory rose unbidden: two moons locked in shadow, the red glow bleeding across the night. Her power had surged that night, answering something she could not see. The Council believes the Starborn are tied to the celestial cycles," Kael continued. "They're not wrong. Every major shift in the sky has coincided with… awakenings."
Lyra's hands clenched. You're saying there are others.
I'm saying there were.
The distinction struck like a blade.
"Were," she repeated.
Kael met her eyes. Most didn't survive discovery. Anger flared hot and sharp, cutting through the calm the vial had given her. "Then why help me at all? Because the Council isn't just hunting," he said. They're preparing.
For what?"
He hesitated. Just a fraction too long. For a reckoning, he said at last. "And you're at the center of it, whether you want to be or not." A distant rumble echoed through the chamber,stone shifting somewhere far above. Lyra felt it too, a tremor that resonated in her bones.
Kael straightened. "We need to move.
Where? Out, he said. "Before Caelond seals its underways.
They gathered what little supplies were stored there and moved into a narrower passage branching from the chamber. This tunnel climbed, twisting upward in tight spirals. The air grew colder, thinner. As they climbed, Lyra's thoughts churned. She had spent her life avoiding attention, surviving on the edges of places that didn't care enough to look closely. Now the world itself seemed to be narrowing toward her, funneling her into a role she had never asked for. They emerged at dusk. The exit opened onto a rocky hillside overlooking the city's western edge. Caelond sprawled below them, lanterns flickering to life as the sun dipped low. From here, the walls looked smaller. Less imposing.
Smoke rose from the central district.
Is that... Lyra began. Search fires, Kael said. They'll use them to flush hiding places. Her jaw tightened. Because of me.
Because of fear, he corrected. "You're just the shape it's taken.They moved quickly along the ridge, keeping low. The land beyond the city fell away into scrub and broken stone, a harsh terrain that offered little shelter but wide sightlines.
Kael led with confidence, choosing paths that avoided silhouettes against the sky. Lyra followed, matching his pace.After a time, she spoke. "You said you want me alive. Why? He didn't answer immediately. When he did, his voice was quieter. "Because the last Starborn I knew believed dying quietly was better than becoming a symbol. Lyra swallowed. "And was she right? No," he said. "She was wrong. And the world paid for it. They reached a shallow ravine as night fully settled. Above them, the moons began to rise—one bright and whole, the other already dimming at its edge, shadow creeping across its face.
Lyra felt the pull immediately. The Starfire stirred, responding to the celestial shift with a low, aching hum. Kael noticed. "It's starting earlier this time. She wrapped her arms around herself. I can't stop it.
"I know."
"What happens when the eclipse completes? Kael's gaze lifted to the sky. "That depends on whether the Starborn stands alone. Before she could ask what he meant, a sound cut through the night,a sharp whistle, followed by the crunch of boots on stone. Kael cursed softly. Scouts.
"How did they find us?"
"They didn't find you," he said. "They followed me."
Three figures emerged at the edge of the ravine, armor glinting dully in the moonlight. Not city guards. These moved differently,quiet, coordinated.
Council hunters.
Lyra's pulse spiked. The Starfire surged in response, light bleeding through her skin again despite her effort to contain it. Kael stepped in front of her. "Do not release it," he said urgently. Not here.
"They'll kill us."
They'll try, he said. If you flare, they'll succeed. The hunters spread out, forming a loose semicircle. Kael of the Inner Rings, one called. "You're far from your assigned quarter."
Kael's shoulders squared. "And you're far from your authority. The hunter smiled thinly. "By order of the Council, surrender the anomaly. Lyra's breath caught. Anomaly. Not even a name. Kael didn't move. "You don't understand what you're asking for.
"We understand enough."
The eclipse deepened overhead. The second moon bled red along its edge, light staining the ravine like spilled wine. Lyra felt something inside her stretch reach.
"Kael," she whispered. "I can't"
"I know," he said, without turning. "Listen to me. When I say run, you run. Do not look back.
"And you?"
"I'll slow them."
"That's suicide."
He glanced over his shoulder, a faint, crooked smile touching his lips. "I've been living on borrowed time for years. The hunters advanced. Kael raised his hands, runes igniting around him,brighter, sharper than before. The air crackled as magic snapped into place, ancient symbols locking together in rapid sequence.
"Now," he said.
Lyra hesitated for a heartbeatthen turned and ran. Behind her, the ravine erupted in light and sound. Stone shattered. Power clashed. She felt the impact ripple through her chest, nearly knocking her from her feet.She didn't stop. She ran until her lungs burned and her legs shook, until the night swallowed the echoes of pursuit. When she finally collapsed behind a cluster of jagged rocks, the sky above was fully transformed. The eclipse had completed, the red glow casting long, twisted shadows across the land. Lyra pressed a trembling hand to her chest.
The Starfire answered,stronger than ever.
And far away, bound by oath and blood, something ancient stirred fully awake.