Elara's POV
We stand on the Keep's wall, looking down at an army that wants me back.
Torches light up the wasteland like angry stars. Hundreds of soldiers in formation. Battle mages with staffs glowing blue. War machines I don't even have names for. And at the front, sitting on a white horse like he's some kind of hero, is Lysander.
My brother. The man who sold me for fifty thousand gold.
"They brought enough forces to level this place," Kael says beside me. His voice is calm, but I can feel the tension through our new bond. The curse connects us now—I sense his emotions like echoes in my chest.
Fear. Guilt. Determination.
"They won't level it," I say. "They want the Keep intact. Too much valuable cursed material inside."
Kael glances at me. "You know your brother well."
"I know what he values. And it's never been me."
A voice booms across the wasteland, magically amplified. "ATTENTION, WARDEN OF THE WASTES. WE COME UNDER THE AUTHORITY OF STELLARIS CITY COUNCIL."
An old man steps forward, wearing fancy robes that mark him as high council. Councilor Vor—I recognize him from city ceremonies I watched through windows.
"THE TRIBUTE SENT TO YOU WAS TAKEN UNDER FALSE CIRCUMSTANCES," Vor continues. "WE DEMAND HER IMMEDIATE RETURN."
I laugh. Can't help it. The sound comes out bitter and sharp.
"False circumstances?" I call down. My voice doesn't boom like his—I don't have magic to make it louder—but the words carry. "You mean when my own family volunteered me to die? When the Council approved it? Those false circumstances?"
Silence. Then Lysander urges his horse forward.
"Elara!" He sounds concerned. Caring. Like a real brother. "Thank the stars you're alive! We've come to rescue you!"
"Rescue?" The word tastes like poison. "Is that what we're calling it?"
"You were taken against your will—"
"I was SENT against my will. By you. For gold." My Moonmark burns hot. The silver-gray light makes shadows dance on the wall. "Don't pretend you suddenly care, Lysander. What changed? Why do you really want me back?"
His mask slips for just a second. I see calculation in his eyes.
"The barrier," Kael says quietly, so only I can hear. "They felt it change. They know something's different."
Of course. The barrier protecting Stellaris from the wasteland just got stronger and shifted from Kael's control to both of ours. The Council would notice that kind of magical shift.
They're not here to save me. They're here because they're scared.
"The girl is clearly confused!" Vor shouts. "Cursed! The Warden has done something to her mind!"
"My mind is fine." I step closer to the edge. Part of me wants to jump down there and make them look at me. Make them see what they threw away. "Better than it's been in years, actually."
"Elara, please." Lysander tries again. "Just come home. We can talk about this. Make things right."
"Make things right? You mean go back to being locked in my room? Go back to cleansing your cursed artifacts while you profit? No thanks."
"You don't understand what you've done!" Vor's pretend concern vanishes. Now he just sounds angry. "The magical signature of the barrier has changed! You've interfered with forces beyond your comprehension!"
"I comprehend just fine." I hold up my marked palm. Even from this distance, they can see it glowing. "I'm not the powerless girl you discarded. I'm a Warden now. Equal guardian of this wasteland. And I'm telling you to leave."
The army stirs. Soldiers shifting nervously. Mages whispering to each other.
"She's been corrupted," someone shouts. "The curse has taken her!"
"The curse hasn't taken me. I chose it." I feel Kael's surprise through our bond. I reach over and take his stone-silver hand in mine. "I chose to share the burden. To stand with someone who's been alone for three hundred years. That was my choice. Mine."
Lysander's face twists with rage. There—that's the brother I know. Not the fake concerned one.
"You stupid girl," he snarls. "Do you know what you've cost me? The artifacts from the wasteland are becoming unstable! My entire business is falling apart because you damaged the old barrier!"
"Good," I say simply.
"GOOD?" Lysander is screaming now. "You've ruined everything! Years of work! Millions in profit!"
"You ruined my life for profit. Now we're even."
Vor raises his staff. "Last chance, girl. Come willingly, or we take you by force."
"Try it," Kael says. His voice is quiet but carries weight. "I've been defending this Keep for three hundred years. Your mages don't scare me."
"We have fifty battle mages," Vor counters. "The best warriors in Stellaris. Siege weapons designed to break magical barriers. You're just one cursed man."
"He's not alone anymore." I squeeze Kael's hand. Feel our shared power thrumming between us. "And you're not breaking anything."
Vor's face darkens. "So be it. MAGES! PREPARE TO—"
"WAIT!"
A new voice cuts through the tension. A girl pushes through the army ranks—young, maybe sixteen, wearing servant clothes. She's carrying something.
My breath catches.
It's the girl who whispered "I'm sorry" when I left. One of the house servants.
"I have something the Council needs to see!" she shouts, waving papers above her head. "Documents! Records! Proof!"
Lysander's face goes white. "Seize her! She's—"
"I'm showing everyone the truth!" The girl dodges the soldiers trying to grab her. She's fast. "Elara Corvain was used by the Corvain family for thirteen years! Forced to cleanse cursed artifacts while they profited! They volunteered her as tribute to hide the evidence!"
She throws the papers into the air. They scatter, floating down among the soldiers. Some grab them. Start reading.
"Those are forgeries!" Lysander shouts. "Lies!"
"They're from your own office," the servant girl says. "Your ledgers. Showing every artifact Elara cleansed and every gold piece you made. With dates. Proof she was a slave in her own home."
The army erupts in chaos. Soldiers arguing. Mages reading the papers with shock on their faces. Vor trying to restore order.
"This changes nothing!" Vor bellows. "The girl still interfered with the barrier! She's still dangerous!"
"The girl has a name!" Kael's voice cuts through everything. "And she saved your city. The old barrier was failing. I've been holding it together alone for three hundred years, and I was breaking. She strengthened it. Made it stable. Stellaris is safer now than it's been in decades."
"Lies!"
"Test it yourselves," Kael challenges. "Your mages can sense the barrier. They know I'm telling the truth."
One of the mages steps forward—an older woman with white hair. "Councilor Vor... he's right. The barrier is stronger. More stable. The magical resonance is... it's beautiful, actually. Balanced."
Vor looks like he wants to explode. "That doesn't matter! She's—"
"She's a hero," the white-haired mage says firmly. "She did what was necessary to protect all of us."
The army is divided now. Half looking at Vor with suspicion. Half at the scattered papers. A few looking up at me like they're seeing me for the first time.
Lysander makes his choice.
"ATTACK!" he screams. "NOW! BEFORE THEY—"
He doesn't finish.
Because the ground splits open between the army and the Keep.
A crack forms, widening, deepening. And from the crack rises a figure made of shadow and red eyes.
Theron.
"Hello again," the shadow creature says cheerfully. "Sorry to interrupt this touching family reunion. But I'm afraid I can't let you attack my new favorite humans."
"What is that thing?" Vor stumbles backward.
"That's a Shade Lord," Kael breathes. "Theron, what are you—"
"Protecting my investment." Theron grins at the terrified army. "See, when dear Elara and the Sorcerer King joined their powers, they created something new. Something I can use. And I can't have you killing them before I figure out what."
"You were banished!" I shout down.
"Temporarily. The new barrier has... gaps. Still being settled. I slipped through." Theron spreads his arms. "Now, let's discuss terms. You humans leave. My friends stay. Everyone lives. Simple."
"We don't negotiate with monsters!" Vor raises his staff.
"Pity."
Theron moves his hand.
The ground erupts with shadow creatures. Dozens of them, pouring from the crack. Not attacking—just surrounding the army. Cutting off escape.
The soldiers panic. Some run. Some raise weapons. The mages start casting spells.
"STOP!" I scream. "Everyone stop!"
To my shock, they do. Even Theron pauses.
"This is what you wanted, isn't it?" I call down to Vor, to Lysander, to all of them. "You wanted proof I'm dangerous? Here it is. I'm bonded to the Warden. Connected to the barrier. And apparently attractive to shadow creatures who want to use me."
I take a breath.
"So here's my offer. You leave. Now. Let me stay here and learn to control this power. Let me and Kael guard the wasteland like we're supposed to. And in return, we keep the barrier strong. We keep Stellaris safe. We keep things like Theron from reaching your city."
"And if we refuse?" Vor asks shakily.
"Then Theron attacks you. We probably can't stop him—the bond is too new, we're too weak. Half your army dies. Maybe more. And for what? Pride?"
Silence.
Then the white-haired mage speaks. "I vote we accept her terms."
Other mages nod. Soldiers lower their weapons.
Vor looks defeated. Lysander looks furious. But they're outvoted.
"Fine," Vor spits. "But if the barrier fails—if even one creature reaches Stellaris—we're coming back. With everything we have."
"Understood," Kael says.
The army begins to retreat. Slowly. Watching the shadow creatures that fade back into the crack as they go.
Lysander meets my eyes one last time before he leaves. The hatred there is pure and cold.
"This isn't over, sister," he mouths.
Then he's gone.
Theron looks up at us. "Well played, little Moon Princess. Using me as a threat. Clever."
"What do you really want?" I ask tiredly.
"To see what happens next." He starts to sink back into the shadows. "Oh, and one more thing. That servant girl who helped you? She's one of mine. Has been for years. Consider her a gift."
He vanishes.
I look at Kael. "Did he just say—"
"He has a spy in Stellaris. Yes." Kael pulls me back from the wall. "This is bad, Elara. Very bad."
"Why?"
"Because if Theron has been planning this for years..." Kael's face is grim. "Then we didn't outsmart him. We did exactly what he wanted."