With one last look at the oasis, Reiya swung into the saddle. It would remain with her, always—but her heart was already moving forward.
As Ember surged ahead, the brothers flanking her, Reiya knew: This wasn’t an ending.
It wastheirbeginning.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
ALARIK
Dawn had barely broken when they left the oasis behind. The desert unspooled before them in waves of gold and rust, quiet but watchful, as if biding its time.
Alarik rode ahead, guiding them east—away from the main road, away from danger. The longer path would cost them hours, perhaps more, but the risk of ambush on the trade route was too great. With Kaelen pale and silent in the saddle and Reiya still unfamiliar with a blade, it wasn’t a risk they could afford.
He glanced over his shoulder, taking stock. Kaelen was upright but straining. Reiya’s posture was stiff, determined but weary.
He exhaled, adjusting his grip on the reins. He’d led through worse. Bleeding, half-starved, outnumbered—he’d survived.
They’d survive this too. They had to.
To their right, the Qirathi Highlands loomed, their jagged peaks slicing into the sky. As a boy, he’d imagined them as the ribs of a slumbering giant, a creature that might one day stir and shake the desert apart. The cliffs were sheer walls of rust and shadow, their craggy surfaces swallowing the sun. What seemed like barren rock was alive with unseen watchers—silent figures blending into the terrain, betrayed only by the faintest glint of steel.
The Qirathi were one of the fiercest tribes of the Numeria Desert, their warriors hardened by its brutal expanse. They owed loyalty to no Crown, bowing only to their Chieftain and the unyielding laws of their land. Few dared trespass into their strongholds uninvited.
A flicker of movement caught his eye high on the massif’s face. To the untrained, it might’ve been a bird’s shadow or the trick of the light, but Alarik knew better.
A Qirathi spy was watching.
His grip on the reins tightened. He’d considered leading them into the highlands, seeking shelter under the Chieftain’s rule. But the Qirathi didn’t offer sanctuary freely, and bringing an unclaimed Omega into their domain—when Kaelen could barely sit his horse—wasn’t a risk he was willing to take.
For years, his role had been Kaelen’s trusted counsel, a position he’d found fulfillment in. But now, with his brother incapacitated, the weight of command had fallen on his shoulders.
Every decision felt like the edge of a blade.
A sudden shift in movement drew his attention. Kaelen swayed in the saddle, his golden complexion ashen, his breathing ragged. He clung to the reins with fierce determination, but Alarik saw the truth.
His brother was barely holding on.
“Alarik!”
Reiya’s voice cut through his thoughts, and he pulled his horse to a halt.
She was already at Kaelen’s side, steadying him as he threatened to slide from the saddle.
“He’s feverish,” she murmured, pressing a hand to Kaelen’s brow.
Kaelen’s lips curled in a weak semblance of a grin. “Tie me to the saddle. Can’t stop now.”
She looked at him, concerns etched onto every line of her face. “He can’t keep going like this. We have to stop.”
His jaw tightened. He saw how Kaelen clung to the reins, muscles locking in place to keep himself upright. The sandshrike venom was merciless, and the desert heat only drained him faster.
Kaelen needed rest, but stopping in the open would make them easy targets. He scanned the horizon, gaze sweeping over the shiftingdunes, the vast desert stretching in all directions. A faint outline in the distance snagged his attention.
“There.” He nodded toward a cluster of rock outcroppings barely visible against the shimmer of heat. “We’ll stop there.”
Nudging his horse forward, he picked up the pace, each step a race against the sun. As soon as they reached the rocky outcrop, he pulled his horse to a stop. His eyes swept the area for any signs of movement. Satisfied they weren’t being watched—at least, not yet—he dismounted and strode toward Kaelen.
He swayed in the saddle, his fingers slackening on the reins. His skin was too pale, sweat beading along his brow.
