Chapter 19
We left at dawn.
The sky was still navy blue and sour with frostbite, the stars faint smudges behind thin, stretched clouds. The kind of morning that felt borrowed—like even time was hesitant to move forward.
Elias had packed like a small apocalypse was coming. Which, to be fair, wasn't far from the truth. His satchel was two-thirds spellbooks, one-third emergency rations, and one mysterious glass vial wrapped in cloth and labeled in his tiny, scratchy handwriting: "Break Glass if Betrayed."
I decided not to ask.
He handed it to me before we left.
"In case he turns on you," he said.
"Thanks," I replied. "Very comforting."
Kellan waited by the front steps. He wore his best coat, a dark wool number with a frayed hem he refused to replace. He stood ramrod straight, but I could tell he didn't approve of this move. He'd lived through wars. He knew when lines were being crossed.
"You'll be safe," he said quietly.
"I hope so."
He leaned in slightly. "But don't let him make you small."
I blinked. Then squeezed his hand. "Never."
Kael's carriage waited at the edge of the estate road.
Pulled by two warhorses so massive they could've doubled as siege weapons. Their eyes were intelligent. Their armor was enchanted. They looked like they'd eat bandits and then stomp their bones for the rhythm.
Kael stood beside the door, silent as shadow, unmoved by the cold. He wore his usual coat—gray, high-collared, lined with something that shifted between leather and something less definable. A long black scarf curled around his neck like a warding charm.
His gaze met mine with zero warmth.
Then, protocol-bound as ever, he offered his hand.
Not out of kindness.
Not out of interest.
Just—procedure.
I took it anyway, chin lifted, dignity intact.
The carriage interior was quiet, clean, and intimidating in its precision. Everything had a place. Nothing had personality.
Elias took one seat and immediately curled up like a housecat with trauma, his eyes half-closed but twitching. He wasn't asleep. Just observing.
Kael sat across from me. His posture relaxed, but his shoulders never dropped below alert. His gloves were still on. His sword was within reach. He watched the woods pass like he was counting exits.
For an hour, no one spoke.
I almost admired the discipline of it.
Then Kael's voice, low and even, broke the silence.
"Why the boy?"
I blinked, surprised by the bluntness. "Why did I adopt him?"
"Yes."
I looked at Elias. He didn't move, but I knew he was listening.
"Because he mattered," I said. "Before anyone else realized it."
Kael didn't answer. But something changed in his jaw. A slight shift. A flicker of a thought he wasn't ready to voice.
The silence stretched again.
So I broke it.
"Why me?" I asked. "Why say yes?"
He didn't answer immediately. Just turned his head, eyes sharp.
"You matter," he said finally.
Two words. Flat and final.
And somehow, that scared me more than anything else.
We didn't speak for the rest of the ride.
But the weight of what had been said lingered like breath on glass.
Not affectionate. Not romantic.
But real.
That was worse.
Because I could play a role. I could fake smiles and forge alliances. But something real? With a man like Kael?
That was dangerous.
And part of me already knew I wouldn't make it out unchanged.
.
.
.
.
.
End of Chapter 19