Chapter 71 | Into the Wild | Kael
The morning after the Council's emergency meeting, the capital was still wrapped in fog. Kael and I had already disappeared into the northern wilderness.
No goodbyes. No explanations. Kael only left Kieran a short message: "Keep Ivy safe. Wait for us to come back."
The wilderness was bigger than I thought. Endless gray-yellow grasslands stretched as far as I could see, with only a few dead trees standing here and there against the wind.
"Where are we going?" I asked.
"I don't know," Kael said.
"Then what?"
He stopped and turned to look at me. "Then I'll teach you to fly higher. Teach you to control your aura. Teach you to fight. Until one day, you won't need me to protect you anymore."
My heart jumped.
We set up camp by a dried-up riverbed. Kael used Shadow-Step to knock down some dead trees and started a fire.
"First lesson." He stood up and spread his wings. "Flying isn't just about wings. Wings are tools, but what really makes you fly is your will."
He rose into the air, his dark red wings barely moving, his body floating as light as a feather.
"Feel the wind," he said. "Don't fight against it. Use it."
I tried to copy him. I spread my silver-white wings and beat them hard, lifting off the ground. But wind came from the side, and my body tilted.
"Push forward!" Kael shouted. "Don't lean back!"
I tried to adjust, but it was too late. I crashed into the grass.
"Does it hurt?" Kael landed next to me.
"No."
"Liar."
He reached down and pulled me up. His palm was wide and strong, his fingers ice-cold but somehow reassuring.
"Again," he said.
I rubbed my sore backside and spread my wings again.
The fire crackled, sparks flying into the night sky. Our shadows overlapped in the firelight like a painting that would never fade.
Night got deeper. I leaned against Kael's shoulder, the fire's warmth heating my cheeks.
"Kael," I whispered.
"Yeah?"
"Thank you for teaching me."
"For what?"
"Thank you for teaching me." My voice was so quiet, like I was talking to myself. "No one's ever wanted to teach me anything before."
Kael was quiet for a long time. Then he reached out and gently pulled me closer.
"Not because I want to," he said. "Because you're worth it."
Outside—no, beyond the wilderness—stars filled the sky. Without city lights, they were so clear.
Tomorrow we'd go deeper into the wild. But right now, in this cold wilderness, two people keeping each other warm—that was the whole world.
Night got deeper. Stars peeked through breaks in the clouds like countless eyes watching this wilderness.
Kael leaned against a dead tree trunk, his dark red wings folded behind him. His shoulder was still bleeding—the bandage needed changing, but we had nothing here.
"Does it hurt?" I asked.
"No," he said.
"Liar."
He smiled. That smile looked tired but gentle in the firelight.
"You've learned," he said.
"Learned what?"
"Learned to tell when I'm lying." He paused. "The Bloodbond lets you see more. Not just feelings, but—"
"Your weakness."
He didn't argue.
"Kael," I whispered.
"Yeah?"
"You don't have to pretend you're not hurt around me." I reached out and gently took his hand. "I don't need a perfect prince. I just need you."
He looked at me. Fire danced in his eyes like two small flames.
"For three thousand years," he said, "I've been pretending. Pretending to be strong. Pretending to be cold. Pretending I don't need anyone."
He reached out and gently took my hand.
"But after I met you," he said, "I don't want to pretend anymore."
Tears filled my eyes. Not from sadness, but from—something deeper.
Belonging.
In this cold wilderness, between campfire and starlight, I found—
Found home.
Not a house. Not a castle.
A person.
"Kael," I said.
"Yeah?"
"What will you teach me tomorrow?"
He smiled.
"Tomorrow," he said, "I'll teach you how to protect yourself in a fight."
"The day after?"
"The day after, I'll teach you how to survive in the Council."
"And after that?"
"After that—" he paused, "—I'll teach you how to make honey oatmeal."
I laughed.
"You still can't do it?"
"Failed eight times." He sighed. "I need your help."
"Then I'll have to teach you right." I said. "Can't let you keep failing."
He looked at me, the corner of his mouth turning up, his ice-blue vertical pupils reflecting the firelight.
"Good," he said. "You teach me."
We sat side by side on the dead tree trunk, shoulders touching, wings overlapping behind us.
Tomorrow had a lot waiting for us. The Council, Chaos, the Frost family, and the threat of Shadow Walkers.
But right now, between campfire and starlight—
This moment was enough.