Snow whispered over the battlements of Winterbell as dusk bled into night. A cold wind had settled over the kingdom like a warning, and within the palace walls, Flynn read the name again.
Varian Thorne.
He'd been a specter in Caelan's memories one of the king's elite strategists, famed for his brilliance and feared for his ambition. Reports claimed he perished in the aftermath of Elaris's fall, burned with the rest of the rebel stronghold. But the scroll from House Aurel changed everything.
And it terrified Flynn more than he cared to admit.
"He's supposed to be dead," Elior muttered, standing near the hearth. "If this is true, then the Ember Hand isn't just some rogue cell it's a legacy."
Flynn nodded grimly. "Which means the betrayal didn't end five years ago. It only changed faces."
A knock at the chamber doors broke their thoughts. Khalid stepped inside, his black cloak dusted with snow. His golden eyes flicked to Elior and then rested on Flynn.
"You summoned me," he said, voice quiet but steady.
Flynn took a moment, letting the silence settle before he spoke.
"I need to ask you something. And I want the truth."
Khalid's brow furrowed. "Go on."
"Do you remember Lord Varian Thorne?"
Khalid's body tensed. His hand twitched by his side, but he quickly masked it with a sigh. "He died with the traitors."
"No," Flynn said. "He didn't."
He tossed the scroll onto the table.
Khalid read it. His expression didn't change but his silence screamed louder than words.
"…You knew?" Flynn pressed.
Khalid looked away. "I suspected."
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"Because if he survived, he would have run deeper into the shadows. And if I chased after him, I'd be accused of dragging the past with me again." Khalid met Flynn's gaze. "I gave everything to this kingdom, to you, to cleanse the blood on my hands. Would you have trusted me then?"
Flynn's heart wavered, caught between reason and the echo of Caelan's betrayal.
"I don't know," he admitted. "But I need to know now. Are you hiding anything else?"
Khalid took a breath, long and sharp. "Yes."
The room grew colder.
"I received a letter. A week before the ruins. It bore Thorne's seal, but no name. Just coordinates. And a warning."
Elior moved forward, eyes narrowed. "Why didn't you tell anyone?"
"Because I didn't know what it meant. And because... I wasn't ready to face him."
Flynn stepped closer to Khalid. "You're going to face him now."
Their eyes locked purple fire to golden flame and something unspoken passed between them. Not trust. Not yet. But perhaps the start of something more dangerous: dependence.
That night, Flynn stood alone in the garden. Snow clung to his lashes. A whisper stirred behind him not wind, not voice, but memory.
"He once served beside you, General."
Seren.
Flynn closed his eyes.
"He feared what you were becoming… so he turned to Thorne."
And in the dark, Caelan's ghost wept in silence.