Chapter 43: The Mark

The ruins fell silent.

Not the normal kind of silence.

Not the kind that came after a shock.

This was the kind of silence that happened when everyone in a room suddenly realized they had made a terrible mistake.

Lena looked from face to face.

Seraphine.

Orion.

Lyra.

Caelum.

Every single one of them looked at the man standing atop the archway.

And every single one of them had the same expression.

Fear.

Real fear.

Not concern.

Not caution.

Fear.

The stranger smiled.

"Come now."

His voice carried effortlessly across the ruins.

"You all look like you've seen a ghost."

Nobody laughed.

The man sighed dramatically.

"Tough crowd."

Then he jumped.

The drop should have broken both legs.

Instead he landed lightly on the ruined stone below.

Like gravity had simply decided not to apply to him.

Lena immediately noticed something strange.

The moment he stepped into the moonlight, the silver glow around the ruins dimmed.

Not disappeared.

Dimmed.

Like the place itself didn't want him there.

Interesting.

Very interesting.

The stranger looked around.

His gaze moved from person to person.

Amused.

Relaxed.

Completely comfortable.

As if he wasn't surrounded by people who clearly wanted him dead.

Then his eyes landed on Lena.

For a brief second his smile softened.

Not mockingly.

Not cruelly.

Almost fondly.

The expression vanished so quickly she wondered if she'd imagined it.

"So."

He folded his hands behind his back.

"You're finally awake."

Lena groaned.

Actually groaned.

The man blinked.

"What?"

"Do all of you rehearse these lines?"

The stranger stared.

Then unexpectedly burst out laughing.

A real laugh.

The kind that couldn't be faked.

Even Lyra looked surprised.

The man wiped a tear from his eye.

"Oh, I like her."

"Get in line."

The response came from Jacob.

Everyone turned toward him.

Jacob immediately regretted speaking.

"You know what?"

He raised both hands.

"I've had a terrible night."

Surprisingly, the stranger nodded.

"Fair."

Then his attention returned to Lena.

The warmth in his eyes faded.

Not completely.

Just enough.

"You're wondering where the truth is."

The statement caught her off guard.

Because she was.

Exactly that.

Not kings.

Not courts.

Not ancient kingdoms.

The truth.

The actual truth.

The stranger seemed to read it on her face.

"They've all told you pieces."

His gaze drifted toward Seraphine.

Then Caelum.

Then Orion.

"None of them are lying."

The ruins remained silent.

Then he smiled.

"The problem is they're not telling the whole story either."

Caelum's expression darkened.

"Enough."

The stranger ignored him.

"Did he tell you why the kingdom fell?"

"No."

"Did she tell you what happened after the fire?"

"No."

"Did anyone tell you what happened to the children?"

The air changed.

Instantly.

The amusement disappeared.

Seraphine froze.

Orion froze.

Even Lyra looked uncomfortable.

Lena noticed.

Immediately.

Children?

Something about that word felt important.

Dangerously important.

"What children?"

Nobody answered.

The stranger laughed softly.

"There it is."

His gaze shifted toward the others.

"The look."

Nobody moved.

"The exact same look from twenty years ago."

Caelum took a step forward.

The ruins trembled.

"I said enough."

For the first time, the stranger's smile disappeared.

The friendliness vanished.

Gone.

Like it had never existed.

And suddenly Lena understood something.

The man wasn't harmless.

Not even close.

The playful attitude was a mask.

A very good one.

But still a mask.

When he spoke again, his voice had become colder.

Sharper.

"You don't get to tell me enough."

The tension hit the ruins like a physical force.

Jacob immediately took several steps backward.

Smart man.

The stranger's eyes never left Caelum.

"I watched that kingdom die."

His voice grew quieter.

More dangerous.

"I watched families tear each other apart."

The wind picked up.

The ruins groaned.

"And I watched all of you decide the easiest solution was to erase a little girl's life."

Lena's heart stopped.

Nobody spoke.

Nobody denied it.

The stranger slowly turned toward her.

And in that moment she realized something horrifying.

He wasn't angry at her.

Not even a little.

He was angry for her.

"You want to know why your memories were taken?"

The question hit harder than anything else that night.

Because nobody had actually answered it.

Not once.

Not really.

The stranger took a step closer.

Then another.

Caleb immediately moved between them.

The motion was instant.

Instinctive.

Protective.

The stranger noticed.

A small smile returned.

"There he is."

Caleb's eyes narrowed.

"Stay away from her."

"Still doing that."

The stranger sounded almost nostalgic.

Lena looked between them.

"You know each other?"

The silence that followed was suspicious.

Very suspicious.

Then the stranger smiled wider.

"Oh, this is going to be fun."

Caleb cursed.

Which was answer enough.

Lena pointed at him.

"No."

Then pointed at Caleb.

"No."

Then pointed between them.

"Explain."

The stranger looked delighted.

Caleb looked like he wanted the ground to swallow him.

And for the first time all night...

Lena felt like she had finally stumbled onto a mystery that actually mattered.

Because whatever history existed between Caleb and this man...

Caleb clearly didn't want her learning it.

And that made her want to know even more.

Then suddenly a scream echoed from deeper within the ruins.

Everyone froze.

The sound came again.

A student's voice.

Terrified.

Painful.

Human.

Jacob's face went white.

One of the rescued students had collapsed.

And as Lena rushed toward them, she caught a glimpse of something appearing beneath the student's skin.

A symbol.

Silver.

Glowing.

Exactly like the mark on her wrist.

The moment Seraphine saw it, her expression changed.

And for the first time since meeting her, she looked genuinely scared.

"That's impossible."

Nobody liked the sound of that.

Not one bit.