Chapter 72 Following the Magic
Ryven
It was morning. The sun was already high enough to break through the canopy, thin beams of light slipping between branches and cutting across the forest floor.
I pulled out my map and spread it over a flat boulder, pressing my palm against the edges to keep it steady. My eyes traced the familiar lines, the landmarks I had memorized long ago, the paths I had walked more times than I could count. This part of the forest should have been open. A clearing. Bare ground, low grass, a place where visibility stretched far enough to spot movement before it became a threat.
Instead, what stood before us was dense.
Ancient.
The trees were packed too tightly together, their trunks thick and uneven, roots breaking through the earth like something had forced them upward too quickly. The canopy above was heavier here, darker despite the sunlight forcing its way through. It didn’t match the map.
It didn’t match memory.
Something was wrong.
I exhaled slowly.
No—everything was wrong.
And it all traced back to one person.
A girl who should not exist.
My grip tightened slightly on the edge of the map as I checked the markers again, searching for any sign that I had miscalculated, that time or distance had altered something naturally. But the coordinates were correct. The terrain should not have changed like this—not in a matter of days, not even in years.
Which meant it wasn’t natural.
My thoughts drifted back to the night before.
I heard the footsteps on the rusty staircase before Magnus did.
The sound was faint but unmistakable—boots scraping against corroded metal, the subtle creak of old iron protesting under weight. I didn't wait for Magnus' reply. I touched the orb and let its power pull me away.
Not far. Just to the neighboring rooftop.
I landed lightly on cracked tiles, crouching low behind a crumbling chimney. From here I could still see Magnus, his back rigid with that familiar imperial arrogance, but I was safely out of sight.
The Enforcer and the damaged Dust Warden emerged onto the roof. Their voices carried on the night wind, sharp and urgent.
Imperial Enforcers were already marching toward the rebel headquarters deep in Ashwood Forest. The Dust Warden believed the man and Sera were rebels. She wanted blood for the wounds the girl had given her.
I stayed long enough to hear the rest, then touched my orb again.
The world blurred. When it cleared, I was back in the heart of our hidden settlement, the familiar scent of pine and damp earth filling my lungs. Helga and Jehan were already in the central clearing, their faces grim as people rushed around them, gathering belongings and dousing fires.
“Good, you’re here,” Jehan said, relief flickering across his face. “Scouts just sent word. Hundreds of Imperial Enforcers are marching this way. We need to move. Find a new place before they burn everything.”
“The Dust Warden thinks the girl is one of us,” I said quietly, keeping my voice low. “They’re coming for Sera.”
Helga’s jaw tightened. “I’ll speak with my father. Explain the situation. If he won’t listen, at least I can buy us time.” She glanced at me. “Rowenna’s been asking for you. She’s packing your things.”
I nodded. “Keep me posted. If they start attacking before we’re ready… we leave none of them alive.”
I turned toward our hut, the small wooden structure that once was Helga's. Rowenna was inside, moving with frantic efficiency. Clothes, vials, small trinkets—everything disappeared into a single enchanted garment bag that swallowed items far larger than its appearance suggested.
The moment she saw me, she dropped the bag and rushed forward, throwing her arms around my neck.
“I was so worried,” she whispered against my shoulder. Her voice trembled slightly. “The Imperial Enforcers are marching straight for us. Are they after you this time?”
I shook my head, holding her close for a moment longer than I should have. “No. They’re after a girl named Sera and the man traveling with her. She wounded the Dust Warden. The Warden wants revenge.”
Rowenna pulled back, a surprised laugh escaping her lips. She had never hidden her hatred for Elara Voss. “Then give that girl my warmest gratitude. Not every day someone manages to wound that cruel bitch and live to tell about it.” She glanced around the nearly empty hut. “I think I’ve packed everything we own. I hope we can return here someday. I’ve grown fond of this part of the forest.”
“Me too,” I said softly, meaning it. The quiet seclusion had been a rare mercy in our chaotic lives.
“Where do you think Aldo will take us?” she asked, slinging the enchanted bag over her shoulder.
“It’s up to him,” I replied. “But he always prefers water nearby and somewhere far from the deepest parts of the Forbidden Forest.”
We stepped outside just as Aldo’s voice boomed across the clearing. The old rebel leader stood at the center, directing people with sharp gestures. Panic rippled through the crowd, but his presence kept it from turning to chaos.
“I just received word from our sponsor,” Aldo announced. “The Empire plans to raid us tonight. We will not waste time. All of you know the lake near the southern border of the forest. That will be our new home.”
“That’s close to Aetheria,” Helga pointed out, stepping up beside him. “The palace will have eyes on us constantly.”
“But it’s the last place they’ll expect us to go,” Aldo countered. “If things go badly, I have a ship ready to take us to Acaris.”
“Acaris?” I muttered under my breath. “The Dark Prince doesn’t welcome outsiders.”
“On the contrary,” Aldo said, his eyes meeting mine briefly. “The Dark Prince has offered us an alliance. They want the Empire to burn as badly as we do.” He reached for his own orb. “I will see you all at the new settlement.”
One by one, rebels touched their orbs and vanished in soft flashes of light.
Helga tapped my shoulder. “I need you as cover. I’m going to speak with my father. See what this is really about.”
I turned to Rowenna, cupping her face gently. “Go. I’ll meet you there.”
She nodded, pressing a quick kiss to my lips before activating her orb and disappearing.
I looked at Helga. “What do you need?”
“You and Jehan follow me into my father’s tent. We'll pass through the back. Keep your arrows trained on his heart. If he tries anything, shoot.”
We moved quickly through the forest, shadows blending with the trees until we reached the Imperial Enforcers’ encampment. The general’s tent stood out—larger, brighter, guarded but not heavily. We slipped around to the rear flap.
Jehan and I drew our bows in perfect sync as we entered. Arrows nocked, strings drawn taut, points aimed directly at General Halwyn Kraven’s chest.
The general looked up from his maps, surprise flashing across his face before it hardened into cold authority. “Helga. What is the meaning of this? I should have you arrested for treason right now.”
“Why are you here, Father?” Helga asked, her voice steady despite the tension.
“We seek the rebel named Sera Bale,” Halwyn answered flatly.
“There is no rebel here by that name,” Helga replied. “And I speak the truth.”
“That’s impossible. The Dust Warden herself vouches for it.”
“Sera Bale is taking refuge in the Cursed Forest, Father. Not here. We are looking for her too—on behalf of Imperial Advisor Magnus Ironside.”
Halwyn stilled. “You search for the girl as well?”
Helga nodded.
The general’s expression shifted. “If you come across Sera Bale, tell her the Emperor will grant her full amnesty. Even a position at the Imperial Court. All she needs to do is surrender.”
Helga’s eyebrows rose. “The Emperor would grant her amnesty? And what of us? Will he extend the same mercy to the rebels?”
Halwyn shook his head. “Only the girl.”
Helga smiled thinly. “Then we will deliver her to Magnus.”
Halwyn’s mouth tightened. “Fine. I will speak with the Emperor. But you must bring me the girl first.”
“Thank you, Father.”
We backed out the way we came, slipping into the darkness before the guards could notice.
Once we were clear of the encampment, Helga exhaled. “Now that we know what the Emperor is offering, we can ask Magnus for more. At first light, we head to the Cursed—”
“No,” I cut in. “The girl is heading toward Aetheria. We’ll start our search along the forest ridge. Tomorrow, at first light, we go there.”
We teleported to the new lakeside settlement to rest, the shift in the air crisp and sudden as the dense forest disappeared behind us. The lake lay calm before us, a mirror reflecting the night sky. Fires flickered, temporary shelters were being arranged, and quiet voices moved among the settlers. For now, at least, we were safe.
Before sleep claimed me, Mira’s words came back to me.
“The Great Ranking Orb turned violet…
I turned the memory over in my mind, unsettled.
The Great Ranking Orb had turned violet for Sera before sinking into red. Mira had dismissed it as an anomaly, but I knew better. Someone had manipulated the reading. The violet meant Celestial blood. The red was a lie meant to hide it.
Celestials were supposed to be extinct. The Empire had hunted them to the last, or so the official histories claimed. Yet here was Sera, a surviving bloodline. And from what I had witnessed, her element was fire. Still raw, still untrained. A novice who could only summon small orbs of hot light. But the old archives I had secretly studied spoke of true firestarters—Celestials who could conjure massive orbs of flame the size of boulders, hot enough to melt stone and reduce entire battalions to ash.
If Magnus gained control over someone like that… he could burn the Empire to the ground and reshape the world however he pleased. With Sera at his side, overthrowing the Emperor would become child’s play.
And now the Emperor himself had been dragged into this mess. The rebels were suddenly a much larger target. Part of me wanted to strangle Magnus for his reckless ambition. He played with forces he only half understood, and the rest of us would pay the price.
But what was done was done.
I needed Sera alive and cooperative. Not for Magnus’s grand plans, but for the answers I would get from Magnus once he had the girl. All these years I had believed I was the bastard son of some Lunaran brothel whore, discarded and forgotten. Now I had a name: Euphemia Mason. Soon I would learn who she truly was—and, more importantly, who that made me.
I folded the map and pocketed it. All the markers were exactly where they should be. All that was missing was what should have been an empty space.
“Is there something wrong?” Helga asked, taking a swig of ale. “If you’re looking for the forest ridge, it’s right there.”
I reached out and let my fingers brush a tree trunk. Subtle threads of enchantment ran through the wood, faint but undeniable—protective wards, perhaps, or something far older. Sera’s doing? Or was the forest itself shielding her?
“We wait up there,” I said, pointing to a massive tree with thick, sprawling branches.
“There?” Jehan asked, raising an eyebrow. “Why?”
“One thing I learned at the Academy,” I replied, “always follow the magic. Besides, Imperial Enforcers will be easy to spot from up there.”
When Sera and her companion emerged, we would be ready.