Chapter 18: Beneath the Starlit Veil

  The caravan creaked to a stop near an abandoned riverbed, its wheels sinking slightly into the dry earth. They had been traveling for hours, the rugged landscape stretching endlessly under the pale glow of the twin moons, Lumina and Noctis.

  Varyn stepped down from the front, brushing dust from his cloak. "We need supplies," he stated plainly, turning toward Sylas. "There’s a settlement not far from here. I can go alone and get what we need."

  Lirien immediately tensed. "You expect us to just let you wander off?"

  Varyn smiled—polite, unreadable. "Would you rather be seen in town and risk attention?"

  Sylas exhaled, rubbing his jaw. "Fine. Take what coin you need, but don’t be gone too long. If you’re not back by dawn, we’re leaving without you."

  Varyn’s lips curled into something resembling amusement. "Understood."

  Mira muttered something under her breath as he disappeared into the darkness. "I still don’t trust him."

  "Good," Rhea said, stretching as she took her place near the edge of the camp. "Because neither do I."

  Sylas rolled his shoulders, pulling out a dagger. "We’ll keep watch. No one sleeps until we know for sure what’s out there."

  As Mira, Sylas, and Rhea moved into position, keeping the perimeter secure, Kael shifted from the back of the wagon, trying to sit up properly.

  Lirien was immediately at his side.

  "Easy," she murmured, pressing a steadying hand against his shoulder. "You’re still weak."

  Kael smirked despite himself. "I thought I was stronger than this."

  "You’re not invincible," Lirien muttered, dipping a cloth into a waterskin and pressing it gently against his forehead. "No matter how hard you try to act like you are."

  Kael exhaled, his muscles aching from days of inactivity. The warmth of her hand, the coolness of the cloth—everything about this moment was grounding, real. She was here.

  And he had nearly left her behind.

  "You scared me," Lirien admitted softly, her voice barely above a whisper.

  Kael blinked, caught off guard. "I did?"

  "Don’t act so shocked." She scoffed, though her voice held no bite. "You were unconscious for two days, Kael. I thought..."

  Her fingers curled slightly against the fabric of his shirt.

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  "I thought you might not wake up."

  The weight of her words settled between them, heavier than the silence that followed.

  Kael reached out, hesitating for only a moment before his fingers brushed against hers.

  "I’m here," he said, his voice steady despite the exhaustion in his bones. "I’m not going anywhere."

  Lirien let out a slow breath, as if she wanted to believe him. As if she needed to.

  "I’ve lost people before," she murmured, her gaze dropping to their joined hands. "To the Rift. To sickness. To things I never got the chance to stop. And when you collapsed after that fight..." She shook her head. "It felt like I was losing you, too."

  Kael tightened his hold just slightly, grounding her in the moment. "You won’t."

  Lirien looked up at him then, and in the soft glow of the moons, Kael swore he saw something unspoken flicker in her eyes—something fragile, something fierce.

  Something real.

  The campfire crackled softly in the distance, but neither of them moved to join the others.

  For the first time in a long while, they weren’t running, weren’t fighting.

  It was just them.

  "You should rest," Lirien said after a while. "You’re still recovering."

  Kael exhaled a soft chuckle. "And miss talking to you?"

  Lirien rolled her eyes, but a small smile tugged at her lips. "You always this charming when you're half-dead?"

  "Only when it matters."

  Lirien’s gaze softened.

  Kael hesitated, then finally asked the question that had been clawing at his chest since waking.

  "...Did you stay with me?"

  Lirien swallowed. "I—"

  She looked away, fingers tightening in her lap.

  Kael didn’t press.

  But then, after a moment, she nodded. "...Yes."

  A pause. Then—

  "Every night?" he asked, voice quieter now.

  Lirien let out a breath that was almost a laugh, but not quite. "...Yes, Kael. Every night."

  Kael’s heart ached in a way that had nothing to do with his wounds.

  He reached out, slow, deliberate, his fingers brushing along her wrist before tracing up to her palm.

  Her breath hitched.

  "I don’t want to lose you either," Kael admitted, the words slipping past his lips before he could stop them.

  Lirien finally looked at him, and the distance between them felt unbearably small.

  "Then don’t," she whispered.

  And before he could think—before he could question it—

  Kael leaned in.

  The kiss was soft, hesitant at first, as if neither of them quite believed it was happening. But then Lirien moved closer, her hands coming up to cup his face, and suddenly nothing else existed but her.

  The warmth of her. The certainty of her.

  And for the first time in days, Kael felt whole.

  Not far from them, Sylas sat near the campfire, twirling a dagger between his fingers. He smirked as he watched the scene unfold.

  "Well, would you look at that," he mused. "Took ‘em long enough."

  Mira, perched on a rock nearby, scoffed. "You knew this was gonna happen, didn’t you?"

  Sylas shrugged. "Didn’t need to be a genius to figure it out."

  Rhea, lying on her back as she cleaned her blade, sighed dramatically. "As sweet as this moment is, can we all agree we’re still surrounded by people who’d probably love to slit our throats?"

  Mira huffed. "Yeah. Romance is nice and all, but I’d rather not die tonight."

  Sylas chuckled, standing up and stretching. "Alright, alright. Keep your weapons close. Varyn’s still out there, and I don’t trust a man who disappears into the night so easily."

  Rhea smirked. "For once, we agree."

  Mira flicked a pebble at him. "Miracles happen."

  As the three of them resumed their watch, the night stretched on, calm but fragile.

  Because beyond the firelight, something still lurked in the dark.

  And Kael’s vision had not been wrong.

  Varyn was more than they thought.

  And soon, the truth would come to light.