The shadows had retreated, their whispers fading into the cold night air, but the chill they left behind clung to Elara's skin. She leaned against a twisted trunk, her breath coming in sharp, uneven gasps, her flames slowly receding beneath her flesh.
Kael wiped the dark ichor from his blade, his gaze never leaving the tree line where the last of their attackers had melted back into the darkness. His jaw was set, his eyes hard, but Elara could see the tremor in his hand as he sheathed his blade.
"They were waiting for us," he said, his voice low, almost accusatory.
Elara flinched, the heat within her sparking at the sharpness of his tone. She wanted to deny it, to argue that they had been caught off guard, but the truth hung between them, undeniable.
"You think I led them to us?" she whispered, her voice trembling, the words tasting like ash on her tongue.
Kael's eyes flicked to her, his expression unreadable in the shifting shadows. For a moment, he said nothing, the silence stretching between them like a blade's edge.
"I don't know," he finally replied, his tone colder than she had ever heard it. "But we can't ignore the fact that they knew exactly where to find us."
Elara felt a flicker of something sharp and bitter in her chest, the heat of her power responding instinctively. She clenched her fists, forcing the flames back down, her breaths coming faster.
"I would never betray you," she said, her voice tight, each word cutting through the heavy air like a thrown dagger.
Kael's eyes softened, his shoulders dropping slightly, but he didn't step closer. He seemed caught between instinct and reason, his trust cracked but not yet shattered.
"Then explain how they knew," he whispered, his gaze hardening again. "Because if we don't figure this out, we're both as good as dead."
Elara felt the sting of his words like a slap, the fire in her blood flaring dangerously. She turned away, biting back the urge to lash out, to let the flames consume the fear and doubt that threatened to drown her.
"I don't have the answers," she whispered, her voice hollow, the words echoing in the dark. "But I won't be your enemy."
Kael's silence hung heavy in the cold air as they turned away from each other, the darkness around them thickening like a tightening noose.
And for the first time since this journey began, Elara felt truly alone.