Elara’s POV
Night swallowed us whole the moment we left the capital.
The gates opened without ceremony, without trumpets or farewell words, as if the kingdom itself held its breath and watched us slip into darkness. The hooves of our horses struck the road in a dull rhythm, muted by the damp earth, the sound carrying farther than I liked. Every noise felt too loud. Every shadow too sharp.
I rode beside Caden, close enough that my knee brushed his leg whenever the path narrowed. He did not let the distance grow between us even once. Each time my horse faltered on loose stone or mud, his hand reached out instinctively, steadying me without a word.
I could feel his fear.
Not as weakness, not as panic—but as something heavy and controlled, locked behind the rigid calm he always wore when violence loomed. It wrapped around him like armor, and I knew it was the only thing keeping him upright.
Behind us, James and Serena rode in tense silence, their cloaks pulled tight, eyes scanning the darkness. And at the front, William led the way.
He never hesitated.
That unsettled me more than anything.
The paths he chose were not marked on any map I had studied. Narrow trails cut through forest and field alike, hidden by overgrowth and darkness. At times the trees closed in so tightly around us that branches clawed at my sleeves and hair, as if the forest itself tried to pull us back.
“How do you know this way?” I asked quietly at one point, my voice barely louder than the wind.
William glanced back, his face pale in the moonlight. “My father taught me,” he said. “For escape. For war.”
The answer chilled me.
We rode hard, barely slowing even when the terrain grew treacherous. My body screamed with exhaustion, but I ignored it. Every ache was nothing compared to the image burned into my mind—Lise being dragged from my arms, her voice tearing itself raw as she screamed for me.
I would ride until my body failed if it meant reaching her.
The fortress emerged from the darkness just before dawn.
It rose from the hills like a wound that refused to heal—stone blackened with age, half-swallowed by the land itself. No banners flew from its towers. No lights burned in its windows. Yet I could feel life there, coiled and waiting, like a beast pretending to sleep.
“That’s it,” William said, his voice low. “He won’t keep her inside long. He never does. He moves quickly.”
Caden dismounted first, already issuing quiet orders. We split exactly as planned. James and Serena circled wide with a small group to create distraction if needed. William led Caden and me toward a narrow service entrance hidden behind collapsed stone.
My heart hammered so violently I was afraid it would give me away.
The break-in happened faster than I expected.
Caden forced the door with controlled precision, barely a sound as the old lock gave way. We slipped inside like shadows, the air cold and stale, thick with dust and old blood. Every step echoed too loudly in my ears.
We separated.
I hated that part.
Caden caught my hand for a brief moment before we parted, squeezing once. “Find her,” he murmured. “I’ll find Alexander.”
I nodded, though the thought of facing my uncle—alone or not—sent a sharp spike of dread through me.
William guided me down a twisting corridor, his steps sure. I trusted him, not because I wanted to, but because I had no choice.
We heard her before we saw her.
A soft sob. Broken. Exhausted.
“Lise,” I breathed.
I ran.
She was in a small chamber near the eastern tower, huddled against the wall, wrists bound but unharmed. Her face lit up in pure disbelief when she saw me.
“Mother!” she cried.
I dropped to my knees in front of her, hands shaking as I cut the ropes with my blade. I pulled her into my arms, holding her so tightly she squeaked.
“I’m here,” I whispered over and over, my voice breaking. “I’m here. I have you.”
She clung to me, sobbing into my shoulder, her small body trembling. “I was scared,” she said between gasps. “He kept saying you wouldn’t come.”
My blood turned to ice.
“He lied,” I said fiercely. “No one takes you from me.”
William stood guard at the door, tense. “We need to move,” he urged. “He’ll know.”
I lifted Lise into my arms despite her protests, ignoring the burn in my muscles. We ran.
Steel clashed somewhere deeper in the fortress. Shouts echoed. Caden.
The rescue was chaos—planned chaos, but chaos all the same. Smoke filled the halls as James’s diversion took effect. Guards scrambled. Confusion spread.
And then we were out.
The cold morning air hit my face like a blessing. Serena rushed forward, tears in her eyes as she took Lise from my arms.
“Protect her,” I said hoarsely. “Please.”
“I swear it,” Serena said, clutching Lise close.
James didn’t hesitate. He turned with them immediately, disappearing into the trees.
I turned back toward the fortress.
Caden and William emerged moments later, breathless, weapons drawn.
“Alexander?” I asked.
Caden’s jaw tightened. “Gone.”
William nodded grimly. “He used the tunnels. I was too slow.”
Rage flared hot and sudden inside me. I stared at the rising sun, at the fortress now silhouetted in gold and shadow. This wasn’t over.
Not even close.