Chapter 20: HEALING HANDS, BREAKING HEARTS

ETHAN'S POV

"Don't move." I pressed my hand over Kiera's mouth.

Commander Vex's boots crunched outside. Getting closer. Each step like a hammer against my skull.

"Start with that cave," Vex ordered.

Kiera's eyes met mine. Wide with fear. She could barely stand, let alone fight.

I grabbed the rock from earlier. My only weapon against trained soldiers.

This was hopeless.

Footsteps approached the cave entrance. A shadow fell across the opening.

Then the earth shook.

Not a small tremor. A massive quake that threw everyone to the ground.

Rocks tumbled from the cave ceiling. I covered Kiera with my body as stones rained down.

Outside, soldiers screamed. The earthquake grew stronger.

"Retreat!" Vex shouted. "Back to stable ground!"

The footsteps ran away. The shaking continued for another minute, then stopped.

Silence.

I peeked outside. The area in front of our cave had collapsed. A massive rockslide blocked the path where Vex's soldiers had been standing.

We were trapped in the cave. But so were they on the other side of tons of rock.

"What just happened?" Kiera whispered.

"I think the mountain saved us." I helped her sit up. "Can you walk?"

She tried to stand. Her legs buckled immediately. "No. Sorry."

"Don't apologize. You took a knife for me." I checked her bandages. Still bloody but holding. "We need to find another way out."

I explored the back of the cave. It went deeper than I thought. Much deeper.

Following the tunnel, I found a small opening. Barely big enough to squeeze through. On the other side, I heard water running.

"There's a stream back here!" I called to Kiera. "And maybe another exit."

I helped her through the narrow gap. The tunnel opened into a larger cavern. A underground stream bubbled through it.

Perfect.

I laid Kiera beside the water. She was shivering again. Fever coming back.

"I need to clean your wound," I said. "It might hurt."

"Everything hurts already." She tried to smile. "Do it."

I tore away the old bandages. The wound looked angry and red. Infected.

Using strips from my already-shredded shirt, I soaked them in the cold stream water. Then I cleaned the wound as gently as I could.

Kiera bit her lip. Didn't cry out. She was braver than anyone I'd ever known.

"Done." I wrapped fresh bandages around her side. "That's the best I can do."

"Thank you." Her hand touched my cheek. "You keep saving me."

"You saved me first. Remember?"

"We're even then."

"Not even close." I dipped my hands in the stream, washing away her blood. "You've saved my life at least five times. I'm way behind."

Kiera laughed. Then winced from the pain it caused. "Don't make me laugh. It hurts too much."

We sat in silence. The stream gurgled peacefully. Like the war didn't exist. Like we weren't fugitives hiding in a cave.

"Ethan?" Kiera's voice was quiet. "What I said earlier... about falling in love with you..."

My heart stopped. "You remember?"

"Pieces. Bits and fragments." She looked away. "Did I really say that? Or am I remembering fever dreams?"

This was it. Truth or lie. Which would hurt less?

"You said it," I admitted. "While the fever was worst. You said you were falling in love with me."

Kiera went very still. "Oh."

"But it's okay if you didn't mean it. Fever makes people say crazy things"

"I meant it."

Now my heart stopped completely.

"What?"

"I meant it, Ethan." She turned to face me. "I've been trying not to feel this way. Trying to focus on the mission. On exposing the conspiracy. On surviving." Her voice cracked. "But I can't stop it. Every time you look at me, every time you risk your life for mine, I fall a little more."

I couldn't breathe. Couldn't think. Could only stare at this fierce, beautiful warrior who'd just torn my world apart in the best way possible.

"I'm falling in love with you too," I whispered.

Her eyes went wide. "Really?

"Really. I have been for a while now. I just didn't think... I didn't know if you could ever..."

"Love a human?" She smiled sadly. "My people will call me a traitor. They'll say you corrupted me. That I betrayed my race for an enemy."

"My people already call me a traitor. They'll say I fell for enemy tricks. That you manipulated me."

"So we're both traitors then."

"I guess so."

We sat there, two traitors in love. The situation would've been funny if it wasn't so terrifying.

Kiera leaned her head on my shoulder. "What do we do now?"

"We survive. We reach Princess Elena. We stop this war." I put my arm around her carefully, avoiding her wound. "And then... maybe we figure out how to be together. If that's what you want."

"It is." She looked up at me. "Is it what you want?"

Instead of answering with words, I kissed her.

It was gentle. Careful. Our first real kiss.

When we pulled apart, Kiera was smiling despite the tears on her cheeks.

"I'll take that as a yes," she said.

A sound echoed through the cavern. Voices. People approaching from the tunnel behind us.

We jumped apart. I grabbed my rock weapon again.

But the voices weren't soldiers. They were speaking the orc language.

"Kiera?" someone called. "Commander Kiera, are you here?"

Relief flooded Kiera's face. "It's the warriors who helped us escape! They must have tracked us."

Three orc warriors emerged from the tunnel. They saw Kiera and rushed over.

"Commander! You're alive!" The youngest one knelt beside her. "We thought the assassins killed you."

"Almost did." Kiera gestured at her bandaged side. "Where's Thorne?"

"Hiding in the forest. He sent us to find you." The warrior looked at me suspiciously. "Is this human treating you well?"

"Better than well." Kiera took my hand. "He saved my life. Multiple times."

The warriors exchanged glances. They clearly didn't trust me. But they trusted Kiera.

"We need to move," the oldest warrior said. "Commander Vex has soldiers searching everywhere. It's not safe."

"Kiera can't walk," I said. "She's too weak."

"Then we carry her." The warrior scooped Kiera up like she weighed nothing. "Come. We know a safe route to the forest."

We followed them through a maze of tunnels. Eventually, we emerged into daylight. Into a thick grove of trees where Thorne waited.

"Thank the gods!" Thorne hugged us both. "I thought I'd lost you."

"Almost did," I said.

We made camp in a hollow surrounded by thorny bushes. Hidden. Safe. For now.

That night, while the others slept, Thorne pulled me aside.

"We need to talk about our next move," he said quietly.

"Princess Elena. We have to reach her."

"I know. But it's a long journey to Silverpeak. At least two weeks on foot." Thorne glanced at Kiera, sleeping fitfully. "And we can't travel like this. Three orcs, a human fugitive, and me. We'll be spotted immediately."

"So we disguise ourselves."

"As what?"

An idea formed in my mind. Crazy but possible.

"Merchants," I said. "We pretend to be merchants traveling to the capital for trade."

Thorne considered this. "It could work. But Kiera and her warriors are obviously orcs."

"Not if we cover them with robes and hoods. Claim they're sick with something contagious. Keep people away." I warmed to the idea. "You can be our bodyguard. I'll be the merchant. And Kiera..."

"Can pretend to be your wife," Thorne finished. "Married couples travel together for trade all the time."

My face went hot. "Kiera won't agree to that."

"She will if it keeps you alive." Thorne smiled knowingly. "And something tells me she won't mind pretending to be married to you."

He walked away, leaving me alone with my racing thoughts.

Pretend to be married to Kiera. For weeks. Living the life we might never actually have.

It was going to be torture.

Beautiful, wonderful torture.

Two days later, we approached our first test. A small inn on the road to Silverpeak.

We wore the merchant disguises we'd stolen from an abandoned cart. I looked almost respectable. Kiera wore a hooded cloak that hid her features. The orc warriors stayed outside with Thorne.

"Ready?" I asked Kiera at the inn door.

"Ready, husband." She said it teasingly, but my heart still skipped.

We entered the common room. It was crowded with travelers. Perfect for blending in.

I ordered food and drinks. We sat in a corner, keeping our heads down.

Then I heard it. Two men at the next table, talking loudly.

"Did you hear about the reward?" one said. "Five thousand gold pieces."

"For what?"

"The traitor knight and his orc witch. The ones who broke into the royal prison." The man leaned closer. "Lady Seraphina herself posted the bounty. Says they're spreading lies about the war."

My blood went cold.

"Five thousand gold?" the second man whistled. "I'd turn in my own mother for that much."

"The description says the human is young. Brown hair. Travels with a female orc warrior with red hair."

Under her hood, I saw Kiera's hand move to her dyed brown hair. We'd tried to disguise her. But was it enough?

"I heard they're heading to Silverpeak," the first man continued. "Trying to reach Princess Elena with their lies."

"Then they're fools. The capital is crawling with soldiers looking for them."

The men laughed and went back to their drinks.

I looked at Kiera. Her face was pale.

We were walking into a trap. Every soldier, every bounty hunter, every desperate person would be looking for us.

And we were heading straight into the most dangerous city in the kingdom.

The innkeeper walked

past our table. He glanced at us. Then stopped.

His eyes went wide.

He'd recognized us.

His mouth opened to shout—