Chapter 121

Chapter 121: Chapter 121

Nyra opened her eyes to the flickering glow of candlelight.

For a long moment, she simply lay still, staring at the familiar cracks in the wooden ceiling of the hut. Her body ached. Her arm throbbed where the soldier’s sword had cut her. Her head was pounding, and the remnants of the silver light still pulsed faintly beneath her skin like the last embers of a dying fire. ℯℯ𝑙.

But she was alive.

"You’re awake," a voice said from beside her. "Good. I was starting to worry."

She turned her head. Corvin was sitting on the wooden chair beside her bed, his elbows resting on his knees, his whiskey-dark eyes fixed on her face. He looked exhausted there were shadows beneath his eyes, and his dark hair was disheveled but there was relief in his expression. Relief, and something else. Something that looked almost like pride.

"You caught me," Nyra said, her voice hoarse. "When I fell. You were there."

"I’m always there," he said simply. "I came for my usual supply run and found the clearing littered with bodies. Twelve of Varek’s soldiers, all dead. And you—" He paused. "You were glowing. Like a star. Like the moon itself had descended to earth and taken human form."

"I don’t remember much after the fight. Just the light. And the power. And then falling." She struggled to sit up, and Corvin moved to help her, his hands gentle on her shoulders. "How long was I unconscious?"

"Several hours. It’s nearly dawn." He handed her a cup of water. "Drink. You’re dehydrated."

She drank, the cool water soothing her parched throat. When she lowered the cup, her silver eyes were troubled. "Varek knows where I am. His soldiers found me. If they tracked me once, they can track me again."

"Which is why we can’t stay here." Corvin’s voice was grim. "This location is compromised. We need to move. Tonight."

Nyra nodded slowly. "Where will we go?"

"I have a place in mind. A safe house on the edge of the eastern territories. It’s remote even more remote than this hut and it’s protected by old magic. We’ll be safe there, at least for a while." He paused. "But Nyra—moving locations isn’t enough. We need to change our strategy."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean we’ve been focusing on survival. On hiding. On gathering intelligence. But the attack tonight proves that we’re running out of time. Varek is closing in. The realm is falling apart. And you—" He met her eyes. "You’re still wanted for murder. Everyone believes you killed Thorne. Everyone believes you’re a traitor and a criminal."

"The maid’s testimony," Nyra said bitterly. "Hellen. The woman who raised me. She lied to the King himself."

"I know. And that’s where we need to start." Corvin leaned forward. "We need to clear your name first. Before we can think about reclaiming your throne or fighting your uncle or avenging Soren—we need to prove that you’re innocent. We need to find evidence that Varek was the one who killed Thorne. We need to find Hellen and force her to recant her testimony. We need to show the realm the truth."

"And how do we do that? Hellen is under Varek’s protection. The evidence was fabricated. And everyone who might have testified on my behalf is either dead or too afraid to speak."

"Then we find new evidence. We find witnesses who saw something. We dig into Varek’s past and expose every crime he’s ever committed." Corvin’s voice was fierce. "I’ve been investigating for weeks, Nyra. I’ve hit dead ends and brick walls, but I’m not giving up. And you—" He reached out and took her hand. "You’re not alone anymore. You have allies. Friends who are searching for you. People who believe in you. We just need to coordinate. To work together."

Nyra stared at him. "My friends. Finn. Marek. Jasper. Ragnar. They’re still looking for me?"

"They’ve been searching the forest every night for weeks. They haven’t found you yet—they’re looking in the wrong places but they’re not giving up."

Tears welled in Nyra’s eyes. "I thought they would hate me. After the showcase. After they found out I’d been lying to them."

"They don’t hate you. They’re worried about you. Finn has been insufferable, he keeps making speeches about how you’re the best friend he’s ever had and how he’ll never forgive himself if something happens to you."

Nyra laughed despite herself—a wet, shaky sound. "That sounds like Finn."

"It is. It’s exhausting." Corvin squeezed her hand. "But it’s also proof that you’re not alone. You have people who care about you. People who will fight for you. We just need to bring them into the fold."

Nyra nodded slowly. "Alright. We move locations tonight. And then—" She took a deep breath. "Then we start gathering evidence. We start fighting back. No more hiding."

"No more hiding," Corvin agreed. "It’s time to take the fight to Varek."

The morning sun rose over Shadowmoon Academy, casting pale light through the high windows of the library. Corvin had returned to the academy before dawn, slipping back into his routine with practiced ease. No one had noticed his absence. No one ever did.

But today, something was different.

He found Ragnar in the training grounds, working through his morning drills with mechanical precision. The scarred Alpha had been training harder than ever since Soren’s death, pushing his body to its limits as if sheer physical exertion could drown out the grief.

"Ragnar," Corvin said, his voice low. "I need to talk to you. Privately."

Ragnar lowered his axe. His scarred face was unreadable, but his eyes were sharp. "This about Nyra?"

"Yes."

"Then start talking."

Corvin glanced around the training grounds, ensuring no one was within earshot. "I know where she is. I’ve been helping her since the night of the showcase. She’s alive, she’s safe, and she’s ready to fight back."

Ragnar’s expression flickered—relief, anger, and something that looked almost like hope. "You’ve been helping her this whole time? You knew where she was, and you didn’t tell us?"

"I was protecting her. The fewer people who knew, the safer she was." Corvin met his gaze steadily. "But things have changed. Varek’s soldiers found her location last night. She fought them off—killed twelve of them—but she can’t stay hidden anymore. We need to move her. And we need to start gathering evidence to clear her name."

"What kind of evidence?"

"Proof that Varek killed Thorne. Proof that the maid’s testimony was fabricated. Proof that Nyra is innocent." Corvin paused. "I’ve been investigating for weeks, but I’ve hit too many dead ends. I need help. I need your help. All of you."

Ragnar was silent for a moment. Then he nodded. "You’ll have it. Finn, Marek, Jasper—they’ve been looking for her. They’ll want in."

"Good. Meet me in the laboratory tonight. We’ll discuss the next steps."

Ragnar clasped his forearm. "About time you let us in, Eldritch."

The great hall of the Astrlyn pack was silent as Lord Varek received the messenger.

The young soldier knelt before him, his eyes glazed and unfocused, his body trembling with exhaustion. He had been found wandering the outskirts of the territory, muttering incoherently about moonlight and silver fire.

"Speak," Varek commanded. "What news of the princess?"

The soldier’s voice, when he spoke, was hollow and distant, as if reciting words that had been carved into his memory. "The princess says her days are numbered. She is coming for the throne. Nothing—not your soldiers, not your assassins, not your poisoned arrows—will stop her."

Varek’s expression darkened. "Is that all?"

"No, my lord. She says—" The soldier’s voice faltered. "She says your days are numbered. Count them well."

The soldier’s eyes rolled back in his head, and he collapsed to the floor, his body convulsing once before going still. The spell that Nyra had cast had run its course. The messenger was dead.

Varek stared at the body for a long moment, his hands clenched into fists at his sides. Then he turned to the guards standing at the door.

"Send word to our trackers," he said, his voice cold and measured. "Double the search parties. Triple the reward. I want her found and brought to me before the month is out. And if anyone gets in your way—anyone at all—kill them."

"Yes, my lord."

The guards departed. Varek stood alone in the great hall, staring at the empty throne that should have been his.

"So," he murmured to himself, "the little princess wants to play games. Very well. Let’s play."

Selene stood at the window of Soren’s suite, staring out at the gray morning sky. The remorse she had felt days ago—the guilt that had gnawed at her after reading Nyra’s letter—had faded, replaced by the cold, familiar certainty of purpose. She would find Nyra Astrlyn. She would make her pay for what she had done. And when it was over, she would claim what was rightfully hers.

Valeria entered without knocking. "I’ve been thinking about what you said. About going after Nyra."

"And?"

"I’m in. But we need a plan. We can’t just go charging into the forest without knowing where she is or what we’re up against." Valeria crossed her arms. "She has the Moonblood power now. She killed a dozen of soldiers during the showcase with nothing but her scream and a silver glow. If we’re going after her, we need to be smart about it."

"We will be." Selene turned from the window. "I’ve been gathering intelligence. There’s a resistance forming in the eastern territories—people who are loyal to Nyra’s father, who don’t trust Varek. If we can find them, we can find her."

"And when we do?"

Selene’s amber eyes were cold. "We’ll decide then."

Finn Harlan was pacing the length of the Undercroft dormitory, his hands gesturing wildly. "I told you! I told you Corvin knew where she was! And now he’s finally letting us in on the secret. It’s about time."

"Calm down," Marek said. "You’re going to wear a hole in the floor."

"I can’t calm down. Nyra is alive. She’s been alive this whole time. And she’s been fighting Varek’s soldiers by herself while we’ve been sitting here, doing nothing."

"We haven’t been doing nothing," Jasper pointed out. "We’ve been searching the forest. We’ve been investigating. We’ve been trying to find her."

"And now we’re going to actually help her." Finn stopped pacing and faced his friends. "Corvin is calling a meeting tonight. We’re going to plan our next move. And whatever it is—whatever he asks us to do—I’m in. All the way."

"Same," Marek said.

"Obviously," Jasper added.

Maureen, sitting beside Jasper, squeezed his hand. "I’m in too. Whatever you need."

Finn looked around the room at his friends his pack—and felt a surge of hope for the first time in weeks. "Then let’s get to work."