Chapter 4 – Shadows in the Walls
1065 Words
The blade whirled from Kaia’s grip. Ronan caught it in midair. His reflexes were too quick, too clean — as if he had been born with a pair of weapons in his hands. Kaia looked down at her fingers, torn up from the training dummy. “Once again, you hesitated,” he said calmly. She scowled. “Because I heard something.” “What?” She looked toward the treeline. “Movement.” Ronan froze. His hand came off the hilt, his nostrils flaring. “Back to the compound,” he said, and hurried away. Kaia moved without argument. Warriors were already coming fast by the time they reached the edge of the clearing. Not Nightshade wolves, but border patrols — teeth bared, fur bristling, their eyes aglow even in the mid-morning shade. They bowed when Ronan appeared. “Alpha,” one said. “We found a trespasser near the Hollow Ridge.” Ronan’s jaw tightened. “Ashbane?” The warrior nodded. “But they didn’t run. They wanted to talk to her.” Kaia blinked. “Me?” Ronan pivoted, and he had dark, unreadable eyes. “Have you ever heard the name 'Talin'?” Her blood ran cold. “Yes,” she whispered. “He was… my friend. From Ashbane. My father’s advisor.” And, for a few purloined weeks, the closest thing to family she possessed. Ronan exhaled. “He’s your father's shadow. If he’s here, it’s not for the small talk.”
Cuffed and beaten, Talin stood in the middle of the great hall. But his chin was up, his blue eyes bright and fierce. He seemed older — gaunter — than Kaia remembered. His black hair was longer, tied in a messy ponytail now. His clothing stuck to him in filth and tatters, the old Ashbane symbols just barely visible. Kaia came in and felt everyone’s eyes on her. She stood a little straighter than she felt. “I barely recognized her.” Talin stared at her. “You’re alive.” “Barely,” she said. His lips smiled sadly. “This is more than I expected.” Ronan moved beside her. “Talk.” Talin’s eyes shifted. “I came alone. I’m not a spy.” “Lies," replied one of the guards. “I swear on the old moon,” Talin added. “I broke from Cain. Not the Alpha you remember, Kaia.” She swallowed. “He sent me here to die. I know.” Talin’s face twisted. “He believed the relic would do that.” Kaia’s head snapped up. Ronan tensed. “Explain.” Talin’s voice dropped. "The thing you were carrying.… It’s a blood beacon. Cain sought to wield it to find the Old Power buried in the Nightshade lands. But it could only be opened by a direct bloodline.” Kaia felt her knees weaken. “He used me… as bait?” Talin nodded. “And then the beacon showed a path, and it would suck you dry. Your wolf. Your mind.” She staggered back a step. Ronan’s hand was immediately on her elbow, steadying her — but it wasn’t possessive. She breathed in once. Twice. “I don’t recall starting anything,” she said softly. “You didn’t need to,” Talin said. “It reacts to instinct. Emotion. Fear.” Ronan’s eyes flicked to her. “The dreams.” Kaia nodded. “And the voice. The pressure. It was as if something were attempting to wake up in me.” Ronan’s jaw locked. Kaia looked at Talin. “Why are you saying this to me?” He hesitated. “Because I think you’re the only person who can stop it.”
That night, Kaia sat at the very lip of the training yard, her feet bare in the cool grass, the stars just beginning to prick the sky. The relic was gone, buried under stone by Ronan’s decree. But she still had it — a hum in her blood. “You’ve been silent,” Ronan said, coming up to her. “Just thinking,” she replied. He sat next to her, but not too close. “About Talin?” “About everything.” They sat in silence. The wind blew a little more, colder against her skin. “He lied to you,” Ronan blurted out eventually. “Your father. Your pack. Your blood.” Kaia turned to him. “And you didn’t?” He met her gaze. “I did.” “I figured you were just keeping me alive at first, so you could humiliate me,” she said softly. “Then I considered maybe it was politics. And now…” He didn’t interrupt. Kaia’s voice dropped. “Frankly, I am not sure why you are still here.” Ronan studied her, whose answer was, simply: “When I look at you, all I see is the wolf I used to be before I learned to hate.” Kaia blinked. He stood. “I will lie at your door tonight,” he added. “The Council is stirring.” “You don’t need to do that,” she whispered. He turned to glance at her over his shoulder. “I do.”
But Kaia didn’t sleep that night. In dreams, the relic called to her once more. Except this time… it wasn’t Ronan she was looking at. It was herself. Standing in the Hollow Cave. But older. Wilder. Eyes glowing silver. A voice whispered: “Unlock me.” She woke with a gasp. And the faint smell of smoke.
Opposite the compound, the war hall was burning. Kaia ran shoeless into the hallway and almost ran right into Ronan. His eyes were blazing. “Stay in your room.” “What happened?” “Council chambers,” he said. “Talin’s gone. Aris let him out.” Kaia’s blood ran cold. “She what?” “She says he overpowered her,” Ronan growled. “Lies. She needs the relic — and you — destroyed before you can trace them back to Cain.” Kaia grabbed his arm. “What if Talin didn’t lie? What if the relic is waking something?” Ronan hesitated — then nodded. “Then we find him before it does.” He turned to go. Kaia’s voice caught. “And if we can’t?” He paused. “Then we prepare for war.”
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