The fog thickened around us like a living thing.
The masked man stood calmly in the middle of the forest path, his black cloak barely moving despite the wind. The runes on his mask glowed faintly, and beneath his feet, the blood circle spread wider across the ground like spilled ink.
My heartbeat slammed against my ribs.
Not because I was afraid.
Because I knew what this was.
A sealing trap.
Kael stepped closer to me, his breathing still uneven from the poison. His arm trembled slightly, but he forced himself to stand straight.
"Elara," he whispered, "tell me you have a plan."
I glanced at him.
His face was pale, but his eyes were sharp.
I exhaled slowly.
"I do," I lied.
Kael stared at me for a second.
Then he muttered.
"Of course you do."
The masked man chuckled.
"Still pretending to be Mira Vale," he said smoothly. "Still pretending you are small."
He took one step forward.
The blood circle flared brighter.
Suddenly, the air shifted.
The forest became heavier.
The trainees behind me gasped as they felt the pressure.
Lyra stumbled backward.
"What is happening," she whispered.
Harlan cursed.
"A blood seal," he muttered. "We are trapped."
Varric raised his blade, eyes blazing with anger.
"Who are you," he demanded.
The masked man tilted his head.
"I am nobody important," he said.
Then he turned his gaze toward Varric.
"But you," he continued, "are Darius Crowe's dog."
Varric's jaw tightened.
"You dare," he hissed.
The masked man laughed softly.
"I dare," he replied. "Because I did not come for you."
His eyes shifted.
Locked onto me.
He pointed slowly.
"I came for her."
Silence fell.
The trainees turned toward me in confusion.
Lyra's eyes narrowed.
Her voice shook slightly.
"For her," she repeated. "Why"
The masked man's voice was almost amused.
"Because she is not a merchant," he said. "She is not a traveler."
He stepped forward again.
The blood circle pulsed.
"And she is definitely not Mira Vale."
My throat tightened.
Kael's hand brushed mine slightly, subtle and quick.
A signal.
He was reminding me.
Stay calm.
Think.
I forced myself to breathe.
Varric stepped in front of me.
"You will not touch a Raven Guild trainee," he said coldly.
The masked man laughed again.
"Trainee," he repeated, like it was funny.
Then his voice became darker.
"She is royal blood."
The world froze.
Lyra's eyes widened.
Harlan stiffened.
Varric's gaze snapped toward me, sharp and suspicious.
"What did he say," Varric asked slowly.
Kael swore under his breath.
I could feel the moment slipping.
If they believed him, my cover would shatter.
I turned my head slightly toward Kael.
"What do you think," I whispered quietly, only for him.
Kael blinked at me, surprised that I asked.
Then his expression sharpened.
He leaned closer.
"He is baiting," Kael whispered. "He wants you to react. If you show power, he confirms it."
I nodded faintly.
Kael continued quickly.
"We have to make them doubt him," he murmured. "Make him look insane."
I inhaled slowly.
Then I raised my voice, calm and clear.
"Royal blood," I repeated.
I looked at the masked man.
"You traveled all this way to Ravenspire just to tell strangers a bedtime story"
The masked man paused.
Then he chuckled.
"You are brave," he said.
I shrugged lightly.
"I am just confused," I replied. "Because if I were a queen, I would not be standing here in mud with people who cannot even wash their cloaks properly."
Some of the trainees snickered.
Lyra scoffed.
Kael covered his mouth to hide a smile.
Varric did not laugh, but his suspicion wavered slightly.
The masked man's tone became colder.
"You can joke," he said. "But the blood circle does not care."
He lifted his hand.
The runes on the ground flashed.
Suddenly, invisible pressure slammed into all of us.
My knees buckled slightly.
Kael gritted his teeth.
Lyra fell to one knee with a gasp.
Harlan slammed his fist into the ground.
"Damn it," he snarled.
Varric stepped forward, aura flaring.
His blood energy rose like a crimson flame.
He swung his blade toward the masked man.
The masked man did not move.
Instead, he snapped his fingers.
The blood circle pulsed again.
Varric's aura flickered violently.
Then collapsed.
Varric stumbled back, coughing.
His eyes widened.
"My blood," he rasped. "It is sealed"
The masked man smiled beneath his mask.
"Yes," he said softly. "This circle blocks blood aura."
The trainees panicked.
Someone shouted.
"We cannot use magic!"
Another screamed.
"Run!"
But the moment they tried, the air pushed them back.
Like an invisible wall.
Kael's voice lowered beside me.
"Elara," he whispered. "We are trapped in a cage."
I swallowed.
The Queen's voice whispered.
You can break it.
But it will expose you.
My fingers curled.
I could break the seal.
But I would reveal blood threads.
I glanced at Kael again.
His face was pale, sweat on his forehead, but his eyes stayed focused.
He looked like he was thinking, not panicking.
I leaned closer.
"What would you do," I whispered.
Kael blinked again.
Then he breathed out.
"If it is a seal," he murmured, "then it has an anchor. Something feeding it."
I nodded.
Kael pointed subtly with his chin.
"Look at his left hand," he whispered.
I followed his gaze.
The masked man's left hand was clenched around something.
A small crystal.
Black.
Just like the puppet cores.
My eyes narrowed.
A seal core.
Kael whispered.
"That is the anchor. If we destroy it, the circle collapses."
I exhaled slowly.
"So how do we destroy it," I asked.
Kael's lips curved faintly.
"That is the fun part," he said quietly. "We distract him."
I stared at him.
"You have a plan," I said.
Kael shrugged.
"I survive by planning," he replied. "You survive by being terrifying. Let us combine talents."
Despite everything, I almost smiled.
Almost.
The masked man's voice cut through.
"Enough," he said. "Come, Elara Nightborne."
He stepped forward.
"You will come quietly, or I will drag you."
Lyra's eyes widened.
She stared at me now, truly looking.
Looking at my face.
At my posture.
At my calm.
Her voice trembled.
"Mira," she whispered. "Who are you"
I met her gaze.
"I am nobody," I said calmly.
Kael stepped forward suddenly.
"Oh, she is definitely nobody," Kael said loudly.
Everyone looked at him.
Kael smiled, spreading his arms.
"She is just a girl," he continued. "A poor merchant girl. The only royal thing about her is her attitude."
Lyra blinked.
A trainee laughed nervously.
The masked man's head turned toward Kael slowly.
"And you," he said. "The thief."
Kael nodded.
"Yes," he replied. "That is me."
The masked man's voice became sharp.
"You should not speak," he said.
Kael smiled wider.
"Oh, I should," he replied. "Because if you are here for the queen, then you are very late."
The masked man froze.
My heart tightened.
Kael was playing a dangerous game.
Varric snapped.
"What are you talking about"
Kael looked around, pretending to be serious.
"You all think the queen is here," he said. "But she is not."
He pointed into the fog dramatically.
"She already passed through this forest two days ago."
The masked man's aura flared slightly.
"You lie," he hissed.
Kael shrugged.
"I always lie," he admitted. "But sometimes I lie with truth inside."
The masked man stepped closer to Kael.
"Where is she," he demanded.
Kael smiled.
"Closer than you think," he replied.
The masked man lifted his hand to strike.
And that was the moment.
Kael moved.
Fast.
He grabbed a broken piece of black crystal from the dead puppet remains and hurled it into the masked man's face.
The shard struck the mask with a crack.
The masked man staggered back.
His grip loosened.
The black core crystal slipped slightly from his hand.
I moved instantly.
Not with magic.
With speed.
I dashed forward and slammed my sword into his wrist.
The blade did not cut deep, but it forced his hand open.
The core crystal fell.
Bounced on the ground.
And rolled toward the blood circle's center.
The masked man roared.
"No!"
Kael lunged for it.
But Lyra moved first.
She kicked the crystal hard.
It flew across the ground.
Straight toward a tree.
And smashed.
The moment it shattered, the blood circle flared violently.
Then collapsed.
The invisible wall vanished.
The pressure disappeared.
The forest air returned like freedom.
Everyone gasped.
The trainees staggered back.
Varric's aura returned instantly, flaring crimson.
His eyes turned murderous.
The masked man stumbled, looking around.
He realized he had lost control.
Varric moved like lightning.
He grabbed the masked man by the throat and slammed him into a tree.
The bark cracked.
Varric's blade pressed against the man's neck.
"Who sent you," Varric hissed.
The masked man laughed through the pressure.
"You already know," he whispered.
Varric tightened his grip.
"Say it," he demanded.
The masked man's laughter grew.
"The Blood Council," he whispered.
Then he turned his head slightly.
His gaze locked on me again.
"And the Serpent," he added softly.
My blood ran cold.
Selene.
The masked man smiled beneath the cracked mask.
"She is coming," he whispered.
Then his body convulsed.
Black veins spread across his skin.
His eyes rolled back.
And in a single moment, he collapsed.
Dead.
Varric cursed and dropped him.
Kael stepped back, breathing hard.
Lyra stared at the dead body, trembling.
"Poison," she whispered.
Harlan's voice was grim.
"A death curse," he said. "They killed him to silence him."
The trainees looked terrified now.
Varric turned sharply toward me.
His eyes narrowed.
"Royal blood," he said slowly.
I held his gaze calmly.
Kael stepped in quickly.
"Royal blood," he repeated. "Do you know how many people claim royal blood in this kingdom"
Varric ignored him.
He stepped closer to me.
"You fought those puppets too well," he said. "You move like a trained noble."
I stayed calm.
Then I spoke softly.
"My father was a soldier," I lied. "He taught me."
Varric's eyes narrowed further.
"You lie well," he said.
I shrugged lightly.
"In Ravenspire, everyone lies," I replied.
Kael nodded.
"Exactly," he added quickly. "That is why I fit here."
Lyra suddenly spoke, voice shaky.
"She is not royal," she said.
Everyone looked at her.
Lyra swallowed.
"If she was royal," she said quietly, "she would not be here with us. She would not bleed. She would not fight."
Her eyes met mine briefly.
And for the first time, her hatred faltered.
Maybe because she had kicked the crystal.
Maybe because she realized I had spared her pride.
Varric stared at Lyra.
Then at me.
His voice lowered.
"Return to Ravenspire," he ordered. "Now."
We moved quickly through the forest, dragging supplies, stepping over bodies, not daring to stop.
The whole way back, Kael stayed close to me.
When we finally reached the gates, Ravenspire's lanterns were already lighting up again.
The city looked warm.
Alive.
Normal.
But my chest felt heavy.
Because I knew one truth.
The Blood Council had found me.
Not fully.
Not yet.
But they were close.
Kael leaned toward me as we entered the streets.
"You handled that well," he murmured.
I glanced at him.
"We handled it," I corrected.
Kael blinked.
Then his lips curved into a small smile.
"That is the first time you said we," he whispered.
I frowned slightly.
"Do not make it weird," I muttered.
Kael chuckled softly.
"I will try," he replied.
But his eyes were serious.
"Elara," he said quietly. "If Selene is coming…"
He did not finish the sentence.
He did not need to.
Because the Queen's voice whispered inside my mind like thunder.
The serpent will not stop until she tastes your blood.
I clenched my fists.
And as Ravenspire's lantern city swallowed us again, I realized something.
I could hide.
I could train.
I could build allies.
But sooner or later…
I would have to fight Selene.
And when that day came…
someone would not survive.