Chapter 68 She Who Knows His Name
Serafina
It had been hours since we had left Dust.
The road had long since disappeared behind us, swallowed by trees and distance. The further we went, the quieter the world became. No carts. No voices. No sign that anyone else existed beyond the three of us.
Blink ran without slowing, her hooves striking the ground in a fast rhythm as she carried us deeper into Ashwood Forest, heading toward the shadowed safety of the Cursed Forest that lay beyond. Her form was strong and fluid, her black coat catching what little light slipped through the trees. I held onto Azerath tightly, my body heavy, every muscle protesting, my thoughts still tangled in everything we had left behind.
Far off between the trees, firelight glowed orange and steady. Campfires. Tents. Moving silhouettes.
“The Imperial Scouts,” Azerath said, his voice low. His back pressed briefly to my chest as he leaned in. “Blink, give them a wide berth.”
She responded instantly, veering left in a smooth arc that sent my stomach tilting. We threaded between ancient trunks, leaping fallen logs and moss-slick boulders without breaking stride. The forest grew denser, the air cooler and heavier with the scent of pine and wet stone.
We did not slow until we reached the stream—the boundary line between Ashwood’s open woods and the tangled, forbidden heart of the Cursed Forest.
Blink gathered her haunches and launched us across the water in one powerful leap. The moment her hooves struck the other side, the air changed.
The canopy thickened, blocking out nearly all light. The ground felt different beneath us, softer, uneven. The silence here was not empty. It felt watched.
Then came the growls. Low. Surrounding.
I forced my eyes to adjust, scanning the darkness until I saw them—pairs of yellow eyes staring straight at us from between the trees. Dozens. Maybe more.
They did not move. They waited.
Blink let out a soft neigh, her body tense but controlled. Azerath dismounted first, landing with ease before turning to me. His hands found my waist and lifted me down with easy strength. The contact sent heat racing along my ribs. My cheeks burned even in the dark as my boots hit the ground.
In the space of a heartbeat the mare was gone. A large black wolf stood where she had been. Blink lifted her head and let out a long, piercing howl.
The response came immediately.
From every direction, howls rose in answer. Then, the yellow eyes vanished one by one, retreating into the darkness until nothing remained.
“Follow me,” Azerath said.
He did not wait for my reply. His hand closed around mine, pulling me forward through the trees.
“I will shift into dragon form,” he continued. “We fly to Aetheria.”
I stumbled slightly as I kept up with him, exhaustion pressing heavily on my body. “Shouldn’t we rest?” I asked. “We can go tomorrow. We've barely stopped since we left Dust.”
He did not slow.
“Serafina, they are searching for us.” His thumb brushed once across my knuckles. "They know we take refuge here in the Cursed Forest. The Warden will not stop until we've been captured—or until the whole forest is ash. Aetheria is the last place she’ll look. And your brother is there.”
He was right.
Images of her flashed in my mind. Her torn face. The burns across her chest. The rage in her eyes. That kind of hate did not sleep.
Blink padded beside us, her steps quiet, her ears alert. She scanned the forest constantly, reacting to sounds I could not hear.
Azerath led me to a small clearing where moonlight fell in a clean silver pool. “This will do,” he said, releasing my hand. “Stay here.”
He walked into the center of the light. His body blurred, stretched, darkened. Scales replaced skin. Limbs lengthened into powerful haunches and vast wings. Trees groaned and bent aside to make room for him. When it was finished, a dragon filled the clearing, wings half-furled, eyes glowing soft amber.
“Blink,” he rumbled, white smoke curling from his nostrils. “Become something small. Small enough for Serafina’s bag.”
Blink gave a low huff before her form shifted again. Fur shrank, limbs tightened, until a small black rabbit sat where the wolf had been.
I crouched, picking her up carefully. She twitched once but did not resist as I placed her inside my bag.
I climbed onto Azerath’s back, finding the natural ridges between his shoulders, wrapping my hands around the thick spines along his neck. When I nodded, he spread his wings in one massive sweep. The ground dropped away. Cold wind rushed past my face as we rose above the treetops.
The clouds from earlier had vanished. Stars burned bright across an endless black sky. Below us, Ashwood Forest unrolled in shades of charcoal and midnight green, cut only by faint silver threads of streams.
Farther in, light bloomed—hundreds of lanterns hanging from branches and rooftops. A hidden settlement. It looked almost serene from this height.
Then I saw the torches. Long, orderly lines of them advancing from the north. Imperial Enforcers, armored and relentless, closing on the village.
“They think we’re rebels,” Azerath said over the wind. “That’s a full raiding party moving on their sanctuary.”
My stomach twisted. “We have to go back, Azerath. We need to help them. The Enforcers are there because us.”
“The rebels have been killing Enforcers for years,” he answered, wings beating steady. “Long before you ever set foot in these lands. That blood isn’t on us. Besides, they serve Magnus.”
“But I feel responsible,” I said, voice rising. “We could have told the Warden the truth. That we’re not part of any uprising.”
A low, bitter sound came from his throat—almost a laugh. “And you think she would have believed us? To her, anyone who stands against the crown is a traitor. A Celestial like you? She’d see only a trophy to drag before the throne. And if they so much as touch you—” His wings snapped harder, sending us climbing. “I will burn Aetheria to cinders. Every tower. Every street. Every soul who stands in my way. That would be more death than one rebel camp could ever claim.”
I pressed my lips together, anger and helplessness knotting in my chest. “Fine,” I snapped. “Forget I said a word.”
He did not respond again.
We flew on.
Time passed in silence. The air grew colder. My body felt heavier with each passing moment. My eyes burned from staying open, but I forced myself to remain awake.
Eventually, the forest began to thin. A ridge appeared ahead, marking the southern edge of Ashwood.
Azerath descended.
The landing was firm but controlled. The moment his feet touched the ground, I slid down, my legs nearly giving out beneath me.
“I can’t feel my arms,” I muttered.
He shifted back quickly, his human form returning as if nothing had happened.
With a flick of his hand, a small hut formed beside us. Simple. Solid.
I didn’t wait.
I stepped inside, pulled Blink from my bag, and dropped my sword near the bed. I didn’t bother removing my boots. The moment I lay down, my body gave in.
Everything went dark.
\----
Azerath
I watched her disappear into the hut.
Her movements were slow, unbalanced. She was beyond tired.
For a moment, I considered following her inside.
Instead, I remained outside.
The air here was quiet, but that meant nothing.
Quiet could change without warning.
This was not the Cursed Forest. Here, we were exposed.
I needed to secure the area.
Dawn was not far. I could feel it. In the light, anyone can see us.
I began the incantations, my voice low as I set the wards around the clearing. Power moved outward, forming a barrier that concealed us and alerted me to anything that crossed it.
Halfway through, I stopped.
A sound.
Footsteps. Light. Unhurried.
Not an Enforcer. That made it worse.
I turned, my hand lifting slightly as flame formed along my palm. It stretched into a blade, solid and bright.
“Hello, Azerath.”
The voice came from the trees. Female.
My brow creased. How was it possible that someone knew my name in this lifetime?
"Finally, you have returned to me."
I narrowed my eyes, focusing on the darkness. Then I caught it.
The scent. Cindervale Orchid from Arcanis.
I exhaled once. “Show yourself.”
A figure stepped forward.
Hair dark as night. Pale skin. Eyes black as sin. Red lips. A blue silk gown clung to her frame. The neckline was low, drawing attention to her breasts without effort. Her expression held amusement.
I closed my eyes briefly, then opened them again. “Elyndra.”
She smiled. “So you do remember me.”
“How are you alive?” I asked, allowing the sword to disappear from my hands.
She tilted her head slightly. “That’s the first thing you ask?”
I scoffed. “I have been asleep for centuries. You are not supposed to be alive."
“I thought you’d be glad to see me,” she said as she closed the distance, her steps unhurried, assured. There was no pause, no doubt in the way she approached. “Oh, Azerath, how I’ve missed you.”
"I apologize if this is not the reunion you expected," I said.
“Since you remember me, I suppose you remember your promise too,” she murmured.
“I made no such thing.”
“You did,” she replied, stopping just in front of me. “You said you would return.”
“I said I might,” I corrected. “That is not the same.”
Her hand lifted, resting against my chest. I did not move.
“Well, you have returned,” she said softly. “That is what matters.”
I looked down at her hand, then back at her face. “This is not a coincidence. You tracked me.”
“Of course I did,” she said, brushing her fingers against my face. “Do you know how hard it is to find someone who does not wish to be found?”
“Yet you managed.”
“I always do," she cooed.
Before I could react, her arms slid around my neck, pulling me down for a kiss.
The ember in my chest surged.
Hot. Consuming. Deadly.