Chapter 13: Chains of the Past
The wind howled through the broken arches of Velcrath as Seralyn stepped out of the chamber where the shadow vanished. Her blade was still warm, its light flickering with frustration and fear. She knelt by the torn cloak Kaela had left behind and clenched it in her fist.
The threads were scorched. Blood, dried along the hem, painted a thin maroon line across her hand.
"Kaela…" she whispered. "Where are you?"
The sigil on her skin glowed faintly, but gave no clear direction. Whatever had taken Kaela be it shadow or spell had masked its path. She was flying blind.
She pushed to her feet, her mind racing.
If someone had taken Kaela… they wouldn't go far. She was injured. Drained. They would hide her close. Somewhere they thought no one would follow.
Seralyn followed what little arcane residue she could find through the twisted streets of the Silent City. Shadows danced along alleyways, watching her, whispering. Her sabatons struck the stone in a rhythm that echoed too loud.
Eventually, she reached the outer courtyards, where trees had grown through buildings and marble had cracked under vines and centuries.
A whistle pierced the quiet.
Sharp. Commanding.
Seralyn turned and froze.
Three figures stepped from the treeline. Cloaked in silver-green, armor laced with moonlight runes.
Elven Enforcers.
One of them lifted his hood. Pale hair, sharp cheekbones, and eyes like frost.
"Commander Seralyn Virellia," he said with a polite nod. "You've led us a merry chase."
"High Enforcer Talien," Seralyn said, lowering her blade but not sheathing it. "Didn't expect to see you this deep in the wastes."
Talien gave a cold smile. "Your missives stopped weeks ago. The High Council sent us to recover you. And," he gestured behind him, "your prisoner."
From the shadows, Kaela was shoved forward.
Blood at her lip. Hands bound in spellsteel. Her sigil flickered like a candle guttering.
Seralyn's breath caught.
Kaela met her gaze. No words. Just disbelief.
A silent question: Did you betray me?
Talien continued, "Imagine our surprise when we found the infamous Ashblade Witch, bound and weakened, wandering near our northern camp. You could have delivered her to us days ago, Commander."
Kaela's mouth curled in a bloody smirk. "Didn't know you still answered to boy generals."
Talien didn't even blink. "Witch tongues wag before execution. As always."
He turned to Seralyn. "Well? Complete your duty. We'll escort you and the prisoner to the Dominion. You'll be honored for your success. Maybe even reinstated."
Seralyn stared at Kaela.
Her lip split. One eye swollen. But her chin was high.
Kaela didn't plead.
Didn't beg.
She just stared like she expected the knife.
Because Seralyn was an elf. An officer. She'd always known where Seralyn's loyalty would end.
Seralyn looked at the rope in Talien's hand.
At the steel cuffs.
At the branded collar already prepared.
And something snapped.
She stepped forward then drew her blade again.
Talien frowned. "What are you doing?"
Seralyn's voice was quiet. "Something I should have done long ago."
She lunged.
Her blade met Talien's mid-air, sparks flying. Enforcers shouted. Arrows loosed. But Seralyn moved like wind and flame, cutting through shock and steel alike.
Kaela dropped, kicked her guard, and rolled toward a fallen dagger.
Their backs met in the chaos.
"Didn't think you'd come," Kaela muttered.
"Neither did I," Seralyn growled, parrying a blow.
Within minutes, Talien was on his knees, bleeding from the shoulder. The others fled.
Seralyn stared him down.
"If you follow us," she said, "you'll regret it."
He spat blood. "You've doomed your name, Virellia."
"I've reclaimed it."
Seralyn turned to Kaela. Hands shaking, she reached for the cuffs. Her magic hummed, unlocking them with a click.
Kaela flexed her wrists.
Then stared at her.
"Why?" she whispered. "Why would you come back for me?"
Seralyn didn't speak immediately. Her breath steamed in the cold air, her hand trembling where she had touched Kaela's.
She looked into Kaela's eyes wild with pain, confusion, and something softer beneath the wounds.
"You were right," Seralyn said. "I've spent my whole life running. Obeying. Never choosing for myself. But out here, away from the Council, the wars, the chains "
Her voice broke. "You made me feel something. Even if it terrified me."
Kaela's mouth opened, but no sound came.
"I don't want to go back to a world where you're my enemy," Seralyn continued. "Not when I've seen the kind of person you really are."
Kaela's throat worked around a sound that was almost a sob.
Then she laughed a soft, broken thing.
"So now you're a traitor like me."
Seralyn gave a ghost of a smile. "Guess we're even."
Kaela swayed. Seralyn caught her without thinking, holding her close. Her warmth seeped through the armor, igniting something in both of them.
"You saved me," Kaela murmured.
Seralyn held her tighter. "And I'll keep doing it."
Kaela leaned into her, eyes fluttering shut.
And Seralyn, for once, didn't flinch.