Bonds and Burdens
POV: Seth
The morning air bit cold against my face as Captain Brannor's voice boomed across the courtyard. Every cadet stood at attention, backs rigid, eyes forward. I kept my chin level, my expression neutral, even as my heart hammered against my ribs.
"Extended deployment," Brannor announced, his scarred face grim. "All academy cadets are hereby reassigned to active border duty until further notice."
The words hit me like a physical blow. No return to the academy. No chance to slip away in the chaos of student life. No escape route back through civilized territory where I might disappear into a city, a village, anywhere but here. I was trapped in Magnus's hunting grounds.
Around me, cadets shifted uneasily. Someone behind me cursed under their breath. Elias made a small choking sound to my left. Even Ronan, usually unflappable, tensed visibly.
Kieran stood to my right, close enough that I could see his jaw clench. His hands curled into fists at his sides, knuckles white. He didn't look at me, but I felt the anger radiating off him in waves.
"You will be divided into patrol units," Brannor continued. "Watch rotations begin tonight. Dismissed."
The formation broke apart. Cadets clustered together, voices rising in worried murmurs. I stayed frozen, staring at nothing.
"This is insane," someone muttered nearby. "We're not soldiers. We're students."
"Not anymore," another voice answered darkly.
I forced myself to move, to walk toward the barracks with the others. Every step felt heavy, like wading through deep water. My mind raced through possibilities, searching for any way out, any plan that didn't end with Magnus's hands around my throat. Nothing came.
"Seth."
Kieran's voice made me stop. I turned slowly, found him standing a few paces back, his face unreadable.
"You alright?" he asked quietly.
I managed a nod, though my throat felt tight. "Fine."
His eyes narrowed slightly, that look he got when he knew I was lying. But he didn't push. Instead, he stepped closer, lowering his voice so only I could hear.
"We'll figure this out," he said. "Whatever happens, we stick together. Understood?"
Something in my chest twisted painfully. He meant it, I could see it in his eyes. He would stand by me, protect me, even though he didn't know who I really was. Even though every word between us was built on lies.
"Understood," I whispered. He held my gaze a moment longer, then nodded and walked away. I watched him go, fighting the urge to call him back, to tell him everything, to beg for help I had no right to ask for. Instead, I turned and kept walking.
The day dragged by in a blur of preparations and assignments. I cleaned weapons I'd already cleaned twice, checked and rechecked my gear, anything to keep my hands busy and my mind from spiraling. But the thoughts came anyway, relentless and dark.
Magnus knew I was here. He'd been in my room, touched my things, left his scent like a claiming mark. How long before he grew tired of this game? How long before he simply took what he believed was his?
By the time evening fell, my nerves felt scraped raw. The watch rotation had me assigned to the eastern battlements at midnight. Hours away. I couldn't sit still in the barracks, couldn't bear the close walls and the too loud voices of the other cadets.
I slipped outside as twilight deepened, making my way to the battlements. The fortress walls rose high above the valley, ancient stone weathered by centuries of wind and war. I climbed to a quiet section, away from the guard posts, and leaned against the cold stone.
Stars began appearing in the darkening sky, one by one. I stared at them and thought about home. Not the academy, not this fortress, but the real home. Thornfield Manor with its sprawling gardens and warm stone walls. My mother's study lined with books, my father's booming laugh echoing through the halls. My little brother's sticky hands tugging at my skirts, begging for another story. All gone. All ashes and memory.
"Thought I'd find you up here."
I didn't turn at Elias's voice. He moved to stand beside me, his usual grin noticeably absent.
"Couldn't sleep?" I asked.
"Can't stop thinking," he admitted. "About everything we're not going back to. Classes. The dining hall. Mariel."
His voice cracked slightly on the last word. I glanced over, saw real fear in his eyes.
"You'll see her again," I said, wishing I believed it.
"Will we?" He laughed, but there was no humor in it. "We're at war, Seth. Actual war. People die in wars. Lots of people."
I didn't have an answer to that. Because he was right. This wasn't training anymore, wasn't theoretical combat lessons and practice drills. This was real. The wolves attacking the convoys were real. The soldiers who didn't come back from patrol were real. Death was very, very real out here.
"We'll get through this," Elias said after a long silence. But his voice held no conviction, just hollow words trying to fill the dark.
"Yeah," I replied softly. "We will."
Neither of us believed it. We stood there in silence, watching the stars multiply overhead. The night grew colder. Below, torches flickered in the courtyard, casting long shadows across the stone. Somewhere a door slammed. Voices called out shift changes.
Normal sounds. Routine sounds. As if everything wasn't falling apart. Then I heard it. Distant at first, barely audible over the wind. But growing louder. Closer.
Howling. Wolf howls echoing up from the valley below, multiple voices joining in a haunting chorus. I'd heard wolves before, but never this close. Never this many.
Elias stiffened beside me. "That's not normal."
"No," I agreed, my hand instinctively moving to the knife at my belt. "It's not."
The howls continued, rising and falling in an almost musical pattern. Not random. Not natural. Coordinated.
Like a signal. My blood ran cold. Magnus's wolves. They had to be. But why announce themselves? Why give a warning?
Unless the warning was the point. Below, soldiers rushed to the walls. Torches flared brighter. Someone shouted orders. The fortress came alive with sudden, urgent movement.
"We should go down," Elias said, already moving toward the stairs.
I followed, but my eyes stayed fixed on the dark valley. The howls continued, closer now. Much closer than they should be. We were halfway down when the gates exploded open.
A scout on horseback thundered through, the animal's eyes rolling white with terror. The rider hauled on the reins, nearly falling as he dismounted.
"Supply convoy!" he shouted, his voice cracking with panic. "Under attack! Five miles out! Wolves everywhere! They need reinforcements now!"
The courtyard erupted into chaos. And i
n the distance, the howling grew louder still..