WE BURN BETTER TOGETHER.

An Enemy’s Hand Lyra

The broken pillar was heavier than it looked.

I wrapped both hands around the rough stone and pulled with everything I had. It scraped across the floor, leaving a trail in the thick layer of dust. My arms burned, and my injured ankle protested with every step, but I refused to stop.

By the time I reached Kael, I was breathing really hard.

“This should work,” he said, studying the fallen slab that trapped his leg.

“I hope you’re right.”

He pointed toward a narrow crack beneath the stone.

“Slide the pillar under there.”

I knelt and pushed one end beneath the slab. It barely fit, but after a few tries, it slipped into place.

Kael looked at me.

“When I count to three, push down as hard as you can.”

I nodded.

“One.”

I tightened my grip.

“Two.”

My palms were already sweating.

“Three.”

We pushed it together and the pillar groaned beneath the weight.

For a terrifying second, nothing happened.

Then, suddenly, the stone lifted just enough.

“Again,” Kael said through gritted teeth.

I pushed harder.

Every muscle in my body screamed of pain. Then, the slab rose another inch.

“Now!”, I shouted.

Kael pulled his leg free just as the pillar snapped in half. The stone crashed back onto the ground with a deafening boom.

Dust poured from the ceiling and I stumbled backward, coughing really hard.

When the dust finally settled, Kael was sitting against the wall, breathing heavily.

His face had gone pale and his right leg was bleeding more than before.

Without thinking, I hurried over to him.

“You shouldn’t move.”

“I’m fine.”

“You don’t look fine.”

“I said I’m fine.”

I folded my arms with furrowed eyebrows.

“And I said you don’t look fine.”

For the first time, he looked almost… annoyed.

“You always argue this much?”

“Only with stubborn people.”

“I see.”

I crouched beside him and examined the wound. The cut wasn’t deep but it was long.

“If we keep walking without treating it, it would only get worse.”

I tore another strip from the edge of my dress. Kael noticed immediately and screamed at me.

“You’ll ruin your dress!”

I couldn’t help but laugh.

“The palace had collapsed.”

I wrapped the cloth around his leg.

“My dress isn’t my biggest concern right now.”

He watched me silently while I tied the knot.

His eyes never left my eyes.

“You’ve done this before.”

“My father insisted I learn first aid.”

“A king taught his daughter to bandage wounds?”

“He taught me many things.”

I smiled faintly.

“He said a ruler should know how to save lives before asking soldiers to risk theirs.”

Kael looked away.

“My father taught me something different.”

“What?”

“He taught me to never depend on anyone.”

His answer was so quiet that I almost missed it. For a moment, neither of us spoke.

The silence wasn’t uncomfortable anymore, it just simply existed.

I stood and offered him my hand.

He stared at it, confused.

“You’ll need help standing up.”

“I can manage.”

“You’ve said that three times already.”

“And I meant it.”

I sighed dramatically.

“You really are impossible.”

Ignoring his words, I grabbed his wrist and pulled him up.

He stood, though not without wincing.

“There.”

I smiled proudly.

“You survived.”

“I was already surviving.”

“Now you’re surviving while standing.

A small breath escaped him.

Not quite a laugh, but more like he was trying not to laugh.

I pretended not to notice.

The chamber stretched before us, disappearing into darkness.

Rows of ancient pillars lined the path ahead of us. Each one was carved with symbols unlike anything I had ever seen before. I walked closer to one of them and dust came away beneath my fingertips.

A phoenix and a white wolf, standing side by side. Not fighting, but standing together.

I frowned. “Kael?”

He stepped beside me.

“What is it?”

I pointed at the carving.

“Look.”

His expression changed the moment he saw it.

“That’s impossible!”

“Why?”

“Our kingdoms have always been enemies.”

“So why would someone carve this?”

He didn’t answer, instead, he moved to the next pillar.

Then the next.

Every carving told the same story. The rulers of Ember and Ash weren’t holding swords, they were rather shaking hands, sharing meals and standing beneath the same crown.

“This can’t be real.” Kael whispered.

“But it is.”

I looked around the enormous chamber.

“If these carvings are true…” I swallowed.

“…then everything we have ever been taught is a lie.”

Before either of us could say another word, a cold breeze swept through the chamber.

One by one, the ancient torches burst into blue flames.

The room glowed with an eerie light.

At the very end of the chamber stood a massive stone door. Neither of us had noticed it before. It was at least three times taller than the palace gates. Chains as thick as tree trunks were wrapped around it. At its center were two empty spaces. One was shaped like a flame and the other like a snowflake.

Kael slowly stepped forward.

“Do you feel that?”

I nodded.

For some weird reason, my heart was racing fast. It felt as though the door was waiting… waiting for us.

Then, without warning, a deep voice echoed through the chamber. It didn’t come from behind us or in front of us, it came from everywhere.

“Only the children of Fire and Ice may pass.”

The ground trembled beneath our feet and I instinctively reached for Kael’s arms. He looked at me but neither of us spoke, because we both knew we hadn’t found this place by accident.