E CROWN WITH

the vaul

circlet rested beneath Jacline's cloak, wrapped in careful cloth,

ole. His breathing was steady, though every so often his steps

him with guard

h hopeful

knowledge gr

stone turned from silver to black - as if the world

tened her gri

said. "The second key lies where the curs

the wolf ten

red lo

t, shar

ture, un

ed - cold

of Remem

markings curled across stone - runes half-buried,

res

cr

f ben

aelor said quietly. "The curse was wove

d to him. "Bet

ze drifted

is

ppling beneath his skin. Red flickered on

closer, touchin

icker

him with a

at you were for

ettled benea

walke

ke an unspoken warning. The air tasted of

ckline

ic

ing off stone like g

her

i

olf f

ion like a blade through memory. The voic

io

io

io

's pulse

s his

east-

ti

an

io

him - his legs trembling, eyes burni

it - gentle, revere

ri

ead - breath sh

cu

nti

a growl, not with silence, but with a voice

k...

im - hands on eith

breathed. "Piece by piec

briefly - not

d into h

struck stone li

hen he remembers. A

ward, fear buried

is cloak, young

line

rea

r of Br

nd magic. At its center stood a stone gate, embedded

bols puls

cr

wo

bl

taff - voice low as

him enough to free h

ts enough to bre

ne swa

e h

ak

nings.

palm against

lue - reacting to bloodline,

ead to the gate. Their breaths synced. Their shadows mer

umbled - deep,

e crack

spilled out - and

olf, you must

d waited - dark,

ook one st

beside her -

sed into the trial that

remained o

r of the F

inside was no

s a m

nd. The kind that doe

ale light bloomed across the wal

ry-l

echo. They moved like reenacted history, silent at firs

ts in

f silver

ung, fierce,

eside

io

ma

loyalty and grief hidden under discipline. Jackline fe

was

eside her - body rig

ed. Or he w

ene sh

- warriors' grip, not gentle. She

figure enter

in shadow. P

un

rcerer

's blood

calm voice, threat beneath honey. A pr

moment everyt

sword drawn - not on

fende

tepped behind him and seized him. Betrayal. Su

a sound thick with

hand on his neck

ion con

, forced

dragged to

g's spell descen

twisted i

ce was

ure is

shed for

ed for

frozen - hear

cursed beca

ause he was loyal

queen - and so the king twist

led - and the vis

mory re

overwhelmed. Jackline knelt with him, ha

id softly. "You fought for he

human-shaped bene

... save.

lver-red with guil

er forehead to his

saved

those words reached a wou

chamber

r shim

verged in

ct wrapped in black cloth, edges stitched in sil

lay a

length - forged of

led like the moo

ispered b

secon

s voic

eld his

e dagger - heavy,

red across st

URSE, THE BOND

DIAN, HIS HEART

BETRAYAL - TH

ine f

whis

ve to u

's pulse

w

h

her

f

Arion - ste

dn't

t bac

silver eyes that held

usted

the kn

broke - steady bu

't har

ard - pressing hi

iving he

gging

he would ch

tears she didn

his trial toget

sed the

amber held

ger Tha

er breath

- silver-dark, pulsing

d steady, eyes bright with trust

sed the

did no

not piercing, not harming. The metal glowed where it met him

ion ch

- not yet - but int

faint outline appeared beside him - the shape of a man sup

inhaled

ouched him - tracing lines across his body

gr

oken s

strained with

mem

mber re

lit with m

like pages to

re the queen, swear

g beside her aga

m her side by betraya

h

kline had no

ng with a bab

Fire.

er's advisor - is fle

ng Jac

ying

's heart

woman who found

ed death to

n cursed for tryi

as not that

protect Jackline's destiny an

ld. Jackline lowered it carefully, the trial

reathing deep, eye

oked

ill rough, still emerging - s

e... not

ech. It didn't

ds carried cent

pride, relief, and a fierce de

e either," she a

t made visible - before stepping back to stand b

ond key - pulsed

pped forwa

is past," he murmured. "You

e first sound she'

ed his ey

ad shaken a

dagger at her belt - n

ke

le

re breath could settle - footsteps

Mael

one the

k, shoulders straight, posture commanding.

ched for

behind Jacklin

longer just guardian -

ped forward - h

an e

stra

arp, carrying a crest split

issin

owed

ight who betrayed Arion," she sa

's breat

f of the royal circlet - pe

n is the reason

wavered

at he could not - to free

hit li

h history, pain, and so

orward - spear gro

through guilt. We bre

d - shaken but

at both halve

ne hel

a hel

ee

e pe

aths co

l trial

eys, On

stone as the chamber

d the air - not hostile,

tudied her

streaked w

shadowed with g

the missing half of

st

guar

hovered nea

h stayed tigh

hout motion - as if fat

s fixed on Larena - me

e the silence

nowing what

nodded.

on remembers

es

ill you

did not falter

im. I refuse to inh

pear slightly - not tr

walk w

ne a sharp look,

d - wary, b

d once - relie

his staff agai

kened, though only t

ght was shattered - in the

, cold as m

trong

art of

rion wa

throne w

day stand - not as a f

swal

al key is in

nclined

nows we a

the corridor, echo

lickered silver, then darker. The curse reacted to th

hed his fur -

aking

to the place whe

d walk b

itself without

ith Fray

d outside felt sharper - colours richer, wind colder, air t

lves of a crown - one h

ory like a wound

guilt and purpo

mp, Elara sat b

r too quickly

yrena speak softly to Terin, offering him dried f

y, she

quickly. I trust

agreement, but surprise

t just her key. Her knowledge. Her pas

moothing frost

g queen of more

ked at the b

" she sai

must become qu

d deep - true an

Curse P

ed across t

ittered

- too bright, too

shivering like something inside clawed towa

e moved

ce, forehead against his, voice

e. Stay

if she let fear rise. But he didn't pull away. H

cracked th

ne... I

r

succ

fa

r

answer was

fighting alo

d - expressio

aces each time you c

rows angry. It w

ached slowly

bloodline owes hi

ret carved deep, saw someone who wanted to heal

e nodde

eside Jackline's - touch

ething

r softened

breath s

not gone, but pushe

n he relaxed - not fully wolf

ll

figh

r

hims

her could see, but

r exh

awaits in sha

ight - y

t

ginn

- not collapsing, choosing closeness. She

the fire, watching

t guard,

s in the frost, l

at here - around one

ckline

erer-King, they would not

d arrive

Shado

sting near the dagger, the other on Arion's warm fur. She did no

slept too,

sed his eyes

ike he remembered how

ill hours away - a faint grey o

as stil

es

ar

rdi

he freezing air, and in his eyes she saw human tho

ed from the shadows of the boulder be

trial ends," he said quietly. "Rest

shed frost f

until we

ed to the v

he dark is an invitation to fate-and

e arms - training, memory, adrenaline, and

and instinctively touching the half-circlet she carri

acked

hed, bu

more observant, like a witness that had finally

ut each movement was watched carefully by Lyrena. Not mistrust - mourning. Sh

light bled into the

wi

an a

placed there -

ess

went to her b

ped back, s

n fr

reached

stone. She lifted it carefully, Arion press

y one sentence, writte

rry my crown,

ke it bac

g of Ash

's breat

a th

rom

d through gr

ur path. He

voice c

ays has

iefly, guilt cutting acro

d hard. "Where

d it into her cloak, and lifted

mp

ea

oida

cont

se she wa

mountain had m

blade forged from curse, one guardian fighting hi

rd beside her - mot

she saw him doubled - wolf and man both - l

ged he

ing per

ing h

palm on his head - s

e said, voice qui

get

t a rising sun, small at the top of the world bu

as no longer some

ng they were w