Vengeance

Chapter 9

“The magic is simple once you understand the basics,” Ewen explains, his voice low but carrying that unyielding firmness that brooks no doubt. His gaze fixes on me as though I am the only person in the world, his words meant for me alone. “You must spread a thin layer of magic over yourself, shaping it with your will until your form bends and shifts into something else. Once the transformation takes hold, you must continually feed it mana until we are beyond the castle walls and back here. If your magic falters—if your concentration wavers for even a moment—the illusion will unravel, and you will be left exposed.”

He pauses, studying me, weighing my resolve as though testing its strength. Then his voice softens. “I will go with you. But the others cannot. This spell requires magic, and they would only slow us down.”

Lettie bristles immediately, her jaw tightening. Her mouth opens, sharp words ready to spill, but Elric is faster. He lays a steadying hand on her shoulder and shakes his head gently.

“We must allow her to try,” he says quietly, his tone heavy with reluctant acceptance. “Ewen will be with her the whole way.”

Lettie whirls on him, her brows furrowing, her eyes dark with worry. “But she passed out after using only one spell,” she argues, her voice trembling despite her effort to keep it firm. “How can we possibly believe she’ll survive this? What if she—what if she doesn’t make it back?”

Ewen chuckles softly, a low sound that curls in the air like smoke. There is no mockery in it, only calm amusement. “She collapsed because she had no bond to regulate her mana. She poured out all her energy at once when only a fraction was required to open the gate and repel the guards. Now…” His gaze slides to me, his silver eyes glinting faintly in the firelight. “…she will not be alone.”

I step closer to Lettie and take her hand, holding it tightly as though my will can pass into her through that simple touch. “I have to try, Lettie,” I plead, my voice cracking on the words. “My mother is in there. Please, trust me.”

Lettie’s eyes shimmer with conflict. Her lips tremble, but at last she lifts her other hand and cups my cheek. Her touch is gentle, almost fragile, her thumb brushing across my skin with a tenderness that makes my throat ache. “I do trust you,” she whispers, her voice breaking on the words. “I just… I have a bad feeling. A sense of dread I can’t shake.”

My chest tightens, but I nod anyway. I step back slowly, and as I do, I notice Ewen’s gaze lingering on Lettie, his expression unreadable, curious—as though her words have stirred something in him.

“Come,” he says at last, turning to me. His voice is quieter now, carrying an edge of urgency. “If we are to succeed, we must act quickly. Hesitation will cost us.”

I nod, pushing aside the lump of fear in my throat, and together we leave the circle of firelight, moving toward the edge of the forest.

The night air greets us, crisp and cool against my skin, laced with the faint scent of pine and damp earth. Above, the sky stretches vast and endless, studded with stars. Every step feels heavier, as though the weight of what we are about to do presses down upon me. The forest around us hums with quiet life—the rustle of leaves, the distant call of an owl—but the air between us is electric, charged with something far more dangerous.

I steal glances at Ewen as we walk, watching the way his stride never falters, the way his shoulders remain tense yet assured, as though the world itself bends to his will. My mind drifts unbidden to what happened earlier—his fury, his protectiveness, his eyes black as the void. My pulse quickens.

I draw in a steadying breath and force myself to break the silence. “So… you like pain, huh?” My tone is teasing, lighthearted, but inside, my heart hammers like a drum, my boldness frightening even to myself.

Ewen’s lips curl into a slow, deliberate smile, the kind that makes the earth tilt beneath my feet. Without warning, his hand brushes mine, his fingers trailing lightly over my skin. The touch is featherlight, almost teasing, but it is enough to send a shiver racing down my spine.

“Only when you administer it,” he murmurs, his voice dipping low, velvety and dangerous, every syllable a caress. “Anyone else, and I might just kill them.”

His fingers trace the length of my arm with maddening slowness, grazing up toward my shoulder, each touch deliberate, each one leaving fire in its wake.

I suck in a breath, sharp and shaky, as goosebumps rise along my skin.

Heat rushes through me, burning at my cheeks, and before I can stop myself, the words tumble free, unbidden. “Is it… normal to feel this drawn to my star bond?” My voice trembles, and my cheeks burn crimson, but I force myself to meet his gaze.

Ewen halts mid-step, so abruptly that I nearly crash into his chest. He turns toward me, his eyes darker than I’ve ever seen them, swirling with something vast and unreadable.

“For some, yes,” he says slowly, his voice hushed, intimate—like a secret shared only between us. “Some bonds are filial. Others… platonic. It depends on what the master wants.”

He leans closer, and my breath catches as his nearness consumes me. The space between us vanishes, the warmth of his breath brushing against my skin. His voice drops to a whisper, intimate, dangerous.

“…and what they need.”

I swallow hard, my pulse thrumming in my ears like war drums. My body feels like it belongs to someone else, heat coiling low in my stomach, the pull toward him overwhelming, undeniable.

His fingers graze the inside of my wrist, lingering there as though tethered. A low groan escapes him, barely audible, but the sound reverberates through me, sparking fire in my veins.

And then, just as quickly, he withdraws, stepping back. His eyes burn with restraint, his hands curling into fists at his sides. “We should go,” he whispers, his voice tight, clipped, almost pained.

I let out the breath I hadn’t realized I was holding, air rushing from my lungs in a shaky exhale. I steady myself, forcing calm into my trembling limbs. Yet as we continue forward, I notice the way his eyes remain dark, his jaw tense, his movements controlled with effort. A small, secret smile tugs at my lips when I see his hands clenched tight, betraying the want he tries so hard to suppress.

The trees thin, and the forest falls away into a clearing. The castle rises before us, its black silhouette cutting into the night sky like jagged teeth. Torchlight flickers along the battlements, the glow barely holding back the shadows that seem to cling to its stone walls. Somewhere within those walls—my mother waits. Alone. Unknowing.

I close my eyes, drawing deeply on the well of magic within me. It rises swiftly, a current coursing through my veins, hot and relentless, begging for release. Beside me, Ewen does the same, his presence like a steady anchor, tethering me against the storm of power building inside.

Together, we draw the magic over ourselves.

The sensation is unlike anything I have ever known. Magic sweeps across my body like a tide, cloaking, reshaping, altering. My bones feel light, hollowed as if carved for the wind. My skin prickles, softening, then hardening, feathers erupting in waves of moonlit silver. My heart thrums faster, lighter, until it feels as though it will burst from my chest.

And then—a laugh. Not spoken aloud, but inside my mind. Warm, amused, intimate.

I see you are fond of the Reflett, Ewen’s voice teases, brushing against my thoughts like velvet. A good choice. The most majestic of birds, wings that shimmer with moonlight. It suits you well.

I open my eyes and glance down. My arms have vanished, replaced by sleek, gleaming feathers that catch the starlight. My legs are slender, powerful talons, sharp and sure. My vision sharpens, the night unfolding in dazzling clarity.

I turn my head and see him—no longer the man but a raven, midnight-black with feathers that gleam like polished onyx. Only his eyes remain unchanged, silver and piercing, burning with the same intensity as before.

He spreads his wings wide, tilts his head toward me, and his voice slips into my mind once more, laced with exhilaration.

Come. Let us take to the sky.

The castle looms beyond, its towers like knives against the stars. My heart pounds with equal measures of terror and hope. I spread my wings, wide and strong, and leap into the night.

And together—we soar.