Chapter 10 Ten
CHAPTER TEN
Mira POV
The night stretched long and heavy as we moved deeper into the abandoned courtyard. The Queen’s visit lingered in the air like a stain. I felt her presence even after she had disappeared, the weight of her gaze still clinging to my skin. She had planned everything. She had waited for me. She had manipulated Jason long before I ever knew the truth.
I paced the courtyard slowly, my shadows following in thin lines along the stones. They pulsed with my heartbeat, restless and sharp. I had always known the kingdom was corrupt. I had always known the Council was dangerous. But the Queen’s involvement shifted everything. She was the one who ordered my capture. She was the one who set the Council against me. She was the one who pushed Jason into betrayal.
She was the root.
The source.
The one enemy I had been waiting to face.
Jason watched me from the opposite side of the courtyard. He had not spoken since the Queen left. His armor was bloodied, his jaw clenched, his eyes fixed on me with a mixture of guilt and determination that I had no interest in unpacking yet.
“We have to go soon,” he said finally. His voice was low, unsteady. “If the Queen was here, the Council will not wait. Reinforcements will come.”
“I know,” I said, not looking at him.
He took a step closer. “Then stop walking in circles and listen to me.”
I stilled. Slowly, I turned to face him. His eyes held mine with a steadiness I had not seen in years.
“I am not angry because you are pacing,” he said. “I am angry because you are trying to think beyond your exhaustion. You fought the mage, stabilized the Core, confronted the Queen, and now you are trying to plan the entire war alone.”
“I do not need you to plan for me,” I said.
“You need rest,” Jason said. “If you collapse, if your power fails at the wrong moment, we lose everything.”
I stepped closer, my voice cold. “Do not pretend you understand my limits.”
“I know your limits,” he said firmly. “You do not bend. You push until you break. You always have.”
My throat tightened. “You lost the right to say that.”
He hesitated, as if the words struck deeper than I intended. “Maybe I did. But it is still true.”
I looked away. The city below us flickered with faint lights, unaware of the danger lurking above them. My shadows curled tighter around my arms.
Jason moved closer, his voice gentler now. “We need to regroup. We cannot face the Queen or the Council without allies.”
“I will not trust your court,” I said. “Not again.”
“And I am not asking you to,” he said. “I know who is loyal to me and who is not. I know who is loyal to her. And I also know the people who will help us whether they trust me or not.”
I looked back at him. “And who are they?”
“Your rebels,” he said quietly. “The ones who already follow you.”
I stiffened. “You think you can win them over.”
“I think they already see how strong you are,” he said. “They would follow you through hell.”
“And what about you?” I asked. “Would you?”
He met my eyes. “I already have.”
Silence settled heavy between us. The weight of what he said, what he meant, hung in the air. My chest tightened, not with pain, but with something far more dangerous. Something I could not afford to feel again.
“You think words help,” I said. “They do not.”
“Then let my actions speak,” Jason said.
Before I could respond, a wave of exhaustion washed over me so suddenly that my knees buckled. My vision blurred. My shadows flickered weakly, sputtering like dying flames.
Jason grabbed me before I collapsed. His arms were strong, secure, familiar in a way that made my stomach twist.
“Mira,” he said sharply. “This is what I meant. You are drained. You pushed too far.”
“Let me go,” I said, though my voice was weak.
He did not. He lifted me gently, carrying me to a shaded corner of the courtyard where collapsed stone columns created a sheltered alcove. My chest rose and fell rapidly, my magic depleted. Shadows curled weakly around my fingers but offered no strength.
Jason lowered me onto a piece of broken pillar, his hands steady despite the tension in his face.
“You used too much magic at the Core,” he said. “Your body is reacting to it.”
“I am fine,” I said, even though I was not.
He knelt in front of me, his hand hovering near my knee. He did not touch me at first.
“You do not have to pretend,” he said quietly. “Not with me.”
Anger sparked in my chest. “Do not speak to me like that. You forfeited that right.”
He bowed his head slightly. “You are right.”
The admission was unexpected. My breath hitched faintly. Jason did not look away from me. His eyes were steady, filled with something I did not want to name.
“I know I broke you,” he said. “I know you survived despite me, not because of me. But I am here now. I am on your side. Whether you want me or not.”
I turned my face away. The truth was a sharp blade I was not ready to hold.
“I do not need you,” I whispered.
He nodded. “I know. You never did.”
His hand brushed mine anyway. Slow. Gentle. Careful. I jerked slightly, but he did not withdraw.
“You can remove your hand,” I said.
“I will,” he said, “when you stop shaking.”
I looked down. My fingers trembled faintly. I clenched my fist, trying to hide it. Jason’s jaw tightened. He wrapped my shaking hand between his palms, grounding it with warmth I had not felt in years.
“You are strong,” he said. “But even you cannot fight without rest.”
I closed my eyes. For one moment. A single breath. Then I pulled away.
“We move before sunrise,” I said. “I need to reach my rebels. They must hear the truth.”
Jason nodded. He stood, offering me his hand. I hesitated, then took it only long enough to stand. His fingers lingered for a breath before I released him.
He did not comment. He did not push.
It unsettled me more than anger would have.
We left the courtyard and entered the empty streets. My body was still weak, but my mind churned with plans. I needed to reach Riven. The rebels would be waiting. They needed answers. They needed guidance. And I needed them.
Jason walked a step behind me, silent, watchful. His presence was an unwelcome comfort, a reminder of everything I wanted to forget.
We reached the edge of the city just as the first light of dawn touched the rooftops.
“Mira,” Jason said suddenly. “Stop.”
I turned. His expression was sharp, tense.
“What now?”
He pointed ahead. A group of figures stood blocking the path. Not soldiers. Not rebels. Court guards wearing royal insignia.
My heart tightened. “You did not bring them.”
“I did not,” Jason said firmly. “This is a trap. The Queen knew we were coming.”
The guards approached. Their swords gleamed in the early light. Their leader stepped forward.
“Your Majesty,” he said to Jason. “We have orders to escort you back to the palace. By command of the Queen.”
Jason’s jaw clenched. “I am not returning.”
The guard’s gaze shifted to me. His eyes narrowed. Recognition flickered.
“Arrest her,” he said.
My shadows activated instantly.
Jason stepped in front of me.
“You will not touch her,” he said.
I stared at his back. For a moment, I forgot how to breathe.
“Jason,” I said quietly, “step aside. I can handle this.”
“I know you can,” he said, “but I will not let you face them alone.”
The guards drew their swords.
Shadows wrapped my arms.
Jason lifted his blade.
“Stay behind me,” he said.
I moved beside him instead.
I saw his surprised look.
“I do not stand behind anyone,” I said.
He nodded once.
The fight exploded.
Steel rang. Shadows struck. Jason fought with brutal efficiency. I fought with precision and fury. Our movements aligned without thought. We cut through the guards, one after another. They were skilled, but not skilled enough. They fell quickly.
When the last guard collapsed, silence returned. Jason dropped his sword arm, breathing hard. I wiped the blood from my blade.
“We have to go,” he said. “More will come.”
“Yes,” I said. “And next time, they will send more than guards.”
He looked at me. A faint, weary smile touched his lips. “Good. Then we will be ready.”
I felt my wolf stir. Not in anger. Not in fear. In recognition. As if she remembered the boy she once wanted.
I turned away before the thought could grow roots.
“We reach my rebels before nightfall,” I said. “The Queen made her move. Now it is our turn.”
Jason stepped beside me.
“Then lead,” he said.
I did.
And he followed.
⸻
Jason POV
Mira walked ahead of me, her shadows curling behind her like smoke. Dawn broke across the city, casting light on the wreckage left behind. Guards lay unconscious. Fires burned faintly in the distance. The kingdom was crumbling, and Mira was at the center of it, fierce and relentless.
She did not look at me. Not once. But she did not push me away either. That was more than I expected.
I watched her from a few steps back. Every movement reminded me of the girl I had loved and the woman she had become. Stronger. Colder. unstoppable. She had changed in ways that frightened me and in ways that awed me. And yet, beneath all the shadows, I still saw her.
When we reached the gates of the forest, Mira paused. She inhaled deeply, sensing the air, the danger, the path ahead.
“Your rebels,” I said quietly. “Will they accept me?”
“They will tolerate you if I say so,” she said. “They do not trust easily.”
“Neither do you,” I said.
She glanced at me. Her gaze was sharp, unreadable. “Trust is earned.”
I nodded. “Then I will earn it.”
Her jaw tightened faintly. She looked away.
“Mira,” I said.
She paused.
“I know I cannot change the past. I know you may never forgive me. But I am here now. Whatever the Queen is planning, whatever the Council is hiding, whatever happens next, I will stand with you.”
She said nothing.
“Mira,” I repeated softly.
She turned to face me fully. Her shadows stilled. Her eyes locked on mine.
“Jason,” she said quietly, “if you fail me again, I will destroy you.”
The words cut deep, deeper than any blade ever could. But they were honest. True. And I deserved them.
I nodded. “I know.”
She held my gaze for a long moment. Then she turned away.
“Follow me,” she said. “We have work to do.”
I did.
Not because I had to.
Because I chose to.
Because I would not lose her again.
Not to the Queen.
Not to the Council.
Not to myself.
Never again.