Chapter 65 Limitations.
Dusk crept slowly across the cold desert, the sky bruised with deep purples and fading gold. Sebastian ordered the remaining soldiers to halt once they had moved a reasonable distance, his voice steady despite the exhaustion pulling at his bones.
“Set up camp,” he commanded. “We stay the night.”
The men moved quickly, well trained even after bloodshed and loss. Fires were lit, tents erected, wards placed. The royal tent rose at the center, sturdy and insulated against the biting cold that crept in as night approached.
The journey back to Clawshire would be long and treacherous, especially with the wounded and the shaken. Sebastian knew better than to push his people further tonight. He also knew his enemy was not yet finished.
Vosnos loomed in his thoughts like a festering wound.
The black seal organization had taken root there for far too long. Damon had been only one head of the serpent. Cutting it off was satisfying, but Sebastian wanted the rest of the body burned to ash. Still, recklessness would serve no one. He wanted them unprepared, scattered, blind to his approach.
More than that, he needed Fernanda safe.
Her awakening had drained her in ways even she did not yet understand. He had felt it through the bond between them, the violent surge and sudden emptiness that followed. She needed rest, warmth, care. She needed to be home.
Sebastian entered the royal tent quietly.
Fernanda lay curled on the bed, wrapped in thick furs, her dark hair spilling across the pillow. She was shivering lightly, her body still recovering from everything it had endured. Her lips were pale, her lashes resting against her cheeks, but there was a faint smile on her face even in sleep.
Maya was alive.
That alone seemed to warm her from the inside.
Sebastian removed his cloak and draped it gently over her shoulders, tucking it around her with careful hands. He knelt beside the bed, brushing his fingers lightly against her hair.
“You should be resting,” he murmured softly, though he knew she could not hear him.
Fernanda shifted slightly, her brows knitting as another shiver ran through her. Sebastian frowned, reaching for another fur and layering it over her legs.
“You scare me,” he whispered, more to himself than to her. “And you save me in the same breath.”
He sat there for a long moment, watching her chest rise and fall, until the tension in his shoulders finally eased just enough for him to breathe properly again.
Across the camp, another tent was quiet and dimly lit.
Maya stirred.
At first, it was only a faint awareness, a strange heaviness in her limbs and a dull ache radiating from her throat. Her breath came slowly, carefully, as though her body was still learning how to exist again.
Her eyelids fluttered open.
The first thing she noticed was warmth. Not just from the blankets covering her, but from the presence beside her bed.
Levi sat there, his back straight, elbows resting on his knees, hands clasped loosely together. His expression was unreadable, eyes fixed on the ground as if he were guarding it.
Maya shifted slightly, the movement small but deliberate.
A soft sound escaped her throat before she could stop it.
Levi’s head snapped up instantly.
His eyes locked onto her, sharp and alert, his body rising halfway to his feet in a single smooth motion. “You are awake,” he said, his voice controlled but tight.
Maya blinked at him, momentarily disoriented. “I think so,” she croaked softly.
Levi immediately reached for a cup sitting on the small table beside the bed. “Do you need anything,” he asked. “Are you in pain.”
She shook her head carefully, wincing at the pull in her throat. “Water,” she managed. “Please.”
He poured slowly, testing the temperature with his finger before bringing the cup to her lips. “It is warm,” he said. “Your throat should not be strained.”
Maya accepted the cup with trembling hands, surprised when Levi did not immediately let go. He steadied it until she had taken her first few careful sips.
“Thank you,” she murmured once she had swallowed enough to ease the burning.
Levi took the cup back and set it aside, returning to his seat as if nothing about the interaction had been unusual.
Maya watched him for a moment, confusion flickering across her face. “You are being very careful,” she said quietly.
Levi stiffened almost imperceptibly. “You were injured.”
She tilted her head slightly. “You are not usually this… attentive.”
His jaw tightened. “You were a good comrade,” he replied. “It would be strange if I did not care at all.”
The words were blunt, almost dismissive, but something in his posture betrayed him. His shoulders were tense, his eyes too focused, his breathing just a bit too controlled.
Maya smiled faintly despite herself. “Would it bother you if you did not care.”
Levi frowned. “Would you prefer that.”
She let out a weak chuckle that ended in a soft cough. “I think I prefer this version.”
Levi looked away quickly, his ears warming. “Rest,” he said shortly.
Maya shifted again, attempting to sit up straighter. Levi was on his feet immediately, one hand hovering near her back, the other near her arm, ready to catch her if she faltered.
“I am fine,” she said gently. “You do not have to hover.”
“I do,” he replied without thinking.
He froze.
Maya raised an eyebrow, amusement glinting in her tired eyes. “Do you.”
Levi cleared his throat. “It is my responsibility.”
She studied him for a moment longer, then sighed softly. “What happened,” she asked. “After.”
Levi hesitated, then answered plainly. “Damon is dead.”
Her eyes widened slightly, but there was no grief there. Only a quiet sense of closure. “Good.”
“There are prisoners,” Levi continued. “Shadow wielders. A few escaped.”
“And Fernanda,” Maya asked, her voice softer now.
Levi’s expression changed, something almost reverent passing through his eyes. “It was her,” he said. “Her powers brought you back.”
Maya went very still.
“She did this,” she whispered.
“Yes.”
Maya exhaled slowly, emotion tightening her chest. “There is so much she does not know,” she said. “So much she needs to learn.”
Levi nodded. “She will.”
“She must,” Maya insisted. “Her powers are not limitless. Every gift has a cost. She needs to understand her boundaries before they destroy her.”
Levi listened intently as Maya spoke, her voice growing steadier as she explained what she knew. They spoke at length, about balance, about restraint, about how power without understanding could become ruin.
“She feels everything,” Maya said quietly. “That makes her dangerous. And vulnerable.”
Levi’s fists clenched. “Then she will be protected.”
Maya smiled at him again, softer this time. “She already is.”
After a while, exhaustion reclaimed her. Her eyelids grew heavy, her words slower.
“You should sleep,” Levi said.
“Noted, vice commander,” she replied lightly.
He stood, hesitating for a moment before turning away. “Rest,” he said again, more gently this time.
As he stepped out into the cold night air, Levi placed a hand over his chest.
The pull was still there. Stronger now.
And for the first time, he allowed himself to hope.