When she entered her chambers, she found Phoebe mid-drill, sword flashing in the sunlight while Kaixo and Apollo tussled on the rug nearby. Phoebe’s sharp eyes caught Alena’s grim expression before her blade had even stilled.
“What happened?” she asked, lowering the weapon.
Alena pulled her aside, her voice low and urgent as she explained the smoke on the horizon and the villages under attack. Phoebe’s mouth tightened into a hard line.
“Fucking Rasennans,” she spat, then slid her sword into its sheath and strode off to fetch her armour.
Alena turned to Kaixo. The boy’s gaze flicked between her and Phoebe’s retreating figure, confusion clouding his face.Apollo nudged the wooden spinning top they’d been playing with, but Kaixo didn’t so much as glance at it.
Alena’s heart twisted. She hated leaving him again—hated that each parting felt like a fresh wound—but there was no choice. The boy couldn’t be brought into danger. He would stay here, surrounded by the three wolves. She wasn’t taking any chances with his safety.
She knelt before him, searching for words that wouldn’t worsen his worry. Phoebe returned before she found them, clad in armour, sword belted, shield in hand.
Kaixo’s face fell. He looked up, voice small but edged with hurt. “You’re leaving?”
Alena’s chest tightened. “Something bad has happened,” she explained, forcing calm into her tone. “Phoebe and I need to go, but we’ll be back as soon as we can.”
His face crumpled, eyes bright with unshed tears. “You’re leaving? Again?” He sprang to his feet, the words bursting out like an accusation. “Alena always leaves!”
“Kaixo, wait?—”
But he was already running, bare feet silent against the stone. Apollo gave a soft whine and padded after him, leaving Alena on the rug with guilt gnawing at her ribs.
“Leave him be,” Phoebe said briskly, filling waterskins. “He’ll be safe here. Go change—then we eat while we wait.”
Alena slipped into the chain mail vest Damona had given her at the Green Mountains hillfort. It was heavier than the elegant mother-of-pearl armour the Cyprian had Gifted her, but it offered something the other couldn’t—full coverage.
The Cyprian’s armour, though stunning, drew too much attention. Its sleek design clung like a second skin, emphasising every curve, leaving her feeling exposed. Worse, it had refused to answer her summons since the night it vanished.
Irritation prickled as she tightened the chain mail at her waist. Why had the Cyprian given her such an unreliable Gift?
Once dressed, she joined Phoebe at the table. They ate in silence—flatbread torn into pieces, dipped into a fragrant lentil-and-herb paste the locals favoured. Alena forced each bite down, trying not to think of the horrors that awaited them.
A knock broke the tense silence, and a moment later, Leukos appeared—calm as ever, yet every line of him taut with urgency. “Are you ready?”
Alena rose, hand settling on the hilt of her short sword. The familiar weight steadied her. “Yes.”
She crossed the room towards him, but his gaze swept her from head to toe, and his expression hardened. “You need a shield.”
She frowned. “I can’t wield the South Wind’s magic if I’m holding a shield.”
“You won’t wield anything if you’re dead,” Leukos shot back, his words sharp enough to cut.
His bluntness caught her off guard. She opened her mouth to retort, but Phoebe’s flat voice came from the side, “I agree with pretty boy.”
Alena turned to her with an incredulous look, searching for solidarity. But Phoebe’s gaze was as unyielding as stone.
“I don’t need a shield.” Heat burned under Alena’s skin, frustration coiling tighter with every word. “I have the Cyprian’s armour to protect me.”
If it ever answered her call.
“Did you test the armour’s strength?” Leukos asked Phoebe, glancing past Alena as though she weren’t standing there.
“Not yet,” Phoebe replied, her expression tight. “Mother-of-pearl armour…” She gave a short, disbelieving huff. “Only the Cyprian would Gift something so impractical.”
Alena’s cheeks flushed, her fingers tightening on the leather scabbard. “It’s still a Gift,” she muttered.
Leukos studied her in silence, his dark eyes assessing. “Until we test it, I’ll be your shield,” he said. “You’ll stay beside me the entire time, so I can protect you.”
