Kaia woke before dawn, the iron cuffs burning cold against her wrists. The torchlight in the small antechamber flickered over her soot-streaked face. Beside her, Lira sat on a low stone bench, clutching a blanket around her shoulders.
"Are you okay?" Kaia whispered.
Lira nodded, her eyes wide. "I think so. I didn't—" She swallowed. "I didn't know what would happen."
Kaia forced a smile. "Neither did I." She stood and tested the cuffs' weight. The ember runes glowed faintly, pulsing in time with her heartbeat. On Darian's side of the hall, his own cuffs held him just as tightly, the shadow sigils matching her glow with a pulse of darkness.
A soft knock sounded at the door. A young scribe in gray Council robes stepped in, carrying a leather satchel and a scroll.
"Champion Emberfall," he said, bowing. "Council Scribe Marten. Your briefing."
Kaia drew a steady breath and followed him into the main hall. The chamber felt colder in the morning light. White marble pillars rose on her right; black stone pillars on her left. At the far end, the Council's banner hung above a long table where High Magistrate Solen and two advisors waited.
Darian stood beside Kaia, expression calm but alert. He didn't speak as they approached.
Solen rose. "This is your mission," he said. "Elemental balance has weakened. On the frontier of Obsidian Vale, the shadow-forest is spreading toward the Emberwilds. If left unchecked, it will consume both flame and shadow."
One advisor, a stern woman with salt-and-pepper hair, rolled out a map. "Here," she pointed to a jagged line. "The border shifts daily. We believe Seris Ebonhart—Champion Ebonhart's sister—holds a key to stopping the advance."
Kaia's breath caught. Seris. The name she'd heard in whispers. The orphan girl at her side tightened her grip on the blanket.
Solen continued, "Your task: travel to Obsidian Vale, locate Seris, and secure her cooperation. Then perform the Rite of Balance at the Crucible Plateau. Only then will the frontier hold."
The other advisor, a younger man with thoughtful eyes, spoke next. "You will depart at first light. We've arranged horses and provisions. Scribe Marten will accompany you to record every outcome."
Marten bowed. "I am at your service."
Solen looked at Kaia. "Ember Champion, any questions?"
Kaia glanced at Darian, who gave a curt nod. She cleared her throat. "What if Seris refuses? She is known for her loyalties to the Shadow Court."
Solen's expression hardened. "Then you must persuade her. Your success depends on unity. The realm cannot afford failure."
He turned to Darian. "Shadow Champion?"
Darian inclined his head. "I will do what is required."
Solen's gaze swept the room. "Very well." He signaled the advisors. "Council dismissed."
As Kaia and Darian followed Marten out of the hall, Kaia's mind raced. She and Darian would have to work together—her fire and his shadow intertwined by those cursed cuffs. The thought made her pulse quicken with tension.
---
Outside the hall, in the courtyard just beyond the gates, Seris Ebonhart stood alone. She was wrapped in a dark cloak that blended with the pre-dawn shadows. Her silver-white hair fell to her shoulders in a sleek wave, and her pale eyes watched Kaia with unreadable calm.
Kaia stepped forward. "Seris?" Her voice trembled slightly.
Seris tilted her head. "Kaia Emberfall." Her tone was flat, distant. "I wondered if the Council would send you."
Darian dismounted from his horse and tied the reins to a nearby post. He didn't look at Seris, but his shoulders were squared and ready.
Lira peeked from behind Kaia. Kaia placed a hand on the girl's shoulder. "This is Lira," she said softly. "She helped me at the Foundry."
Seris's pale lips curved into what might have been a smile. "An orphan with fire in her eyes. You saved her life, champion. She owes you her loyalty."
Kaia met Seris's gaze. "I need your help. The shadow-forest is spreading. The Council wants us to perform the Rite of Balance together."
Seris crossed her arms. "Balance? After what your flames did?" Her voice rose, edged with hurt. "Your fire killed my village. You're the last person I want to see at the Plateau."
Kaia's chest tightened. "I didn't start that fire. But I—I want to stop this. Please."
Seris hesitated. Smoke curls drifted around her—minor tendrils of shadow magic she didn't bother to hide. "Why should I trust you? You wear the Ember Crest like a brand."
Darian stepped forward. "Because you have no choice." His voice was quiet but firm. "Solis himself ordered this."
Seris's eyes narrowed. "Solis." She spat the name. "If he wanted harmony, he'd never have bound us in those cuffs."
Kaia took a steadying breath. "We can free the realm together—if you'll join us."
Seris stared at Darian's cuffs, then at Kaia's. She pressed a hand against her own wrist—no runes there, but her veins pulsed with shadow. "Fine," she said at last, voice cool. "I'll go to Obsidian Vale. But I won't be your ally. I'll be watching."
Kaia managed a nod. Lira exhaled in relief.
---
That afternoon, they left Ashfall Citadel on horseback. Marten rode beside Kaia, quill and scroll at the ready. Darian and Seris rode ahead, their cloaks brushing in silent understanding.
As they crossed the Emberwilds, Kaia tried to keep conversation light with Lira, offering the girl water and dried fruit. Marten asked polite questions about Kaia's life as an engineer. But every few minutes, Kaia caught Marten's eyes on her cuffs, or heard his pen scratch across parchment.
Night fell long before they reached the edge of the dark forest. Around campfire flames, Kaia and Darian sat opposite each other. Seris drifted nearby, eyes toward the trees.
Marten looked up from his notes. "Champion Emberfall, do you believe the old stories—that fire and shadow were once the same element?"
Kaia frowned. "I've heard rumors… but that sounds like a myth."
Darian's voice broke in. "History is written by survivors. Sometimes truth hides in stories."
Kaia held his gaze. "Why tell us that now?"
Darian didn't answer.
Seris stepped closer, her shadow drifting toward their fire. The flames recoiled, flickering lower. "You two," she said softly, "you don't know what lies at the end of your path. Your fire hides a prophecy darker than any flame."
The words hung in the air like a challenge.
Kaia's heart thundered. Darian's eyes met hers, shadow and ember runes pulsing in silent rhythm. Lira stiffened beside Kaia, and Marten lowered his quill, uncertain whether to record or to run.
In the flickering firelight, Kai
a realized their journey had only begun—and that the real test of their alliance was still to come.