The camp felt wrong.
Not unsafe. Not exposed.
Just wrong.
The fire burned low, throwing uneven light across the clearing. Shadows stretched and shrank as the flames shifted, making the trees look closer than they really were. The Hero sat near the fire, sharpening his sword even though it didn't need it. The sound scraped through the silence again and again.
Seraphine sat across from him, arms folded, staring into the flames without really seeing them.
Kael stood a little away from both of them, back turned, watching the forest.
No one spoke.
Finally, the Hero broke the silence. "We can't keep doing this."
Kael didn't turn. "Then don't."
"That's not what I meant," the Hero said, frustration slipping through. "You keep deciding things for all of us."
Kael's voice stayed calm, but tight. "Someone has to."
Seraphine looked up sharply. "That's not your role."
Kael turned now. Slowly. "Isn't it?"
"No," she said. "Not alone."
The fire popped loudly, sparks lifting into the air before fading.
Kael crossed his arms. "If I explain everything now, it puts you both in danger."
The Hero stood. "We're already in danger."
"That was a scout," Kael said. "A messenger."
"Who answered to someone you know," Seraphine added.
Kael didn't deny it.
Seraphine stood too. "You don't get to look at me like that and still keep secrets."
His eyes narrowed slightly. "Like what?"
"Like I'm something you need to protect from the truth."
Kael stepped closer, voice low. "You are."
Her jaw tightened. "I didn't ask for that."
"No," Kael said. "But you accepted it the moment you followed us."
The Hero stepped between them. "Enough."
Both of them ignored him.
Seraphine looked straight at Kael. "If this war is coming, I deserve to know why you're in the middle of it."
Kael hesitated.
Just for a second.
And that hesitation told her everything.
"You were one of them," she said quietly.
The Hero's eyes widened. "What?"
Kael exhaled slowly. "I was."
The fire crackled again.
Seraphine didn't step back. "What does that mean?"
"It means," Kael said, choosing his words carefully, "that I was trained before I ever picked a side."
The Hero shook his head. "You said you left that life."
"I did," Kael replied. "But they don't forget."
Seraphine's voice softened, just a little. "What did you do for them?"
Kael's eyes darkened. "Things I won't defend."
The Hero clenched his fists. "You fought for them."
"Yes."
"Against who?" the Hero asked.
Kael didn't answer immediately.
Seraphine's stomach tightened. "Kael…"
"Against kingdoms," he said. "Against armies. Against people who thought they were on the right side."
The Hero took a step back. "And now you stand with us."
Kael nodded. "That's the choice I made."
"And the man today?" Seraphine asked. "What was he to you?"
Kael looked away. "Someone who survived."
That answer sat heavy between them.
Seraphine ran a hand through her hair, trying to steady herself. "You should have told us."
"I know," Kael said.
The Hero's voice was tight. "Why now?"
Kael looked back at them. "Because they're done waiting."
Later, when the fire had burned lower and the Hero moved off to patrol the edge of camp, Seraphine stayed sitting by the flames.
Kael approached slowly.
She didn't look up.
"You're angry," he said.
She let out a short laugh. "That's one word for it."
"I didn't want to drag you into this."
"You already did," she replied. "The difference is, now I can see it."
Kael crouched near the fire, close but not touching her space. "If you walk away now, I won't stop you."
That made her look at him.
"You think I'd leave?" she asked.
"I think," Kael said quietly, "that you should."
Seraphine stood. "You don't get to decide when I leave."
"You could get hurt," he said.
Her voice sharpened. "We all could."
Kael met her eyes. "You don't understand how this ends."
"Then explain it," she snapped.
His jaw tightened. "It doesn't end cleanly."
The words hung between them.
Seraphine stared at him, searching his face. "Is that why you keep pushing me away?"
Kael stiffened. "I'm not—"
"You are," she said. "Every time things get real, you pull back."
He looked away.
"That's not fair," he said.
She stepped closer. "Is it true?"
Kael didn't answer.
That was answer enough.
Seraphine crossed her arms. "You think distance will keep me safe."
"Yes," he said.
"And if it doesn't?" she asked.
Kael's voice dropped. "Then at least I tried."
She shook her head slowly. "You don't get to carry everything alone."
"I've done it before," he said.
She laughed softly, not amused. "And look how that turned out."
Kael's eyes flickered.
The silence between them thickened.
From the edge of the camp, the Hero watched them without meaning to. He didn't hear every word, but he saw the way they stood too close, the tension sharp enough to cut.
He turned away, jaw tight.
The attack came just before dawn.
Not loud.
Not obvious.
A whisper of movement. A sudden pressure in the air.
Kael reacted first.
"Up," he said sharply.
Seraphine was already moving, blade in hand. The Hero reached them seconds later, sword drawn.
Shapes emerged from the trees. Three of them. Then four.
Not the same man as before.
These ones didn't speak.
Magic cracked through the air. The Hero blocked the first strike, metal ringing loudly. Seraphine moved fast, slicing low and forcing one attacker back.
Kael raised his hands, symbols burning briefly along his arms. The ground shifted, throwing one enemy off balance.
They fought in tight formation without planning it. Years of instinct and trust took over.
An enemy lunged toward Seraphine from behind.
Kael saw it.
He moved without thinking, shoving her aside. The blade cut across his arm instead.
Seraphine spun, eyes wide. "Kael!"
She took the attacker down in one clean strike.
The Hero finished the last one moments later. Silence crashed down around them.
Kael staggered slightly.
Seraphine caught him. "Sit."
"It's nothing," he said.
She ignored him and pulled his sleeve back. Blood darkened the fabric.
Her hands were steady as she bound it, but her jaw was tight.
"You could've been killed," she said.
"So could you," he replied.
She looked up at him, anger flashing. "That's not the point."
Kael met her gaze. "It is to me."
They froze there, close, breathing hard, the fight still echoing in their bodies.
For a moment, it felt like the world narrowed to just the two of them.
Then the Hero cleared his throat.
"We need to move," he said.
They stepped apart.
But something had shifted.
And none of them could pretend they didn't feel it.
End of Chapter 19 🛡️