They found us at dawn.
I'd spent the night hiding behind that pillar, pretending to recover from wounds while actually recovering from the fact that my entire life had just exploded. The mark under my glove never stopped burning. Neither did the awareness of him—a constant presence at the edge of my mind, like a second heartbeat I couldn't ignore.
He was close. Hiding somewhere in the ruins, waiting. I could feel him waiting.
And I could feel something else too: he was worried about me. Genuinely worried. The bond carried his emotions whether I wanted them or not.
I didn't want them.
But I couldn't stop feeling them.
"Valtoris."
Commander Vex stood over me, her face grim. Behind her, the rest of our squad had gathered—Corin, Aris, two others I barely knew. All of them looked exhausted. All of them looked scared.
"We have a problem," Vex said.
"Just one?"
She ignored my sarcasm. "The Umbran team survived. They're on the other side of the ruins, demanding answers. They say one of their own is missing."
My heart stopped. "Missing?"
"Their assassin. The one called Ash." Vex's eyes narrowed. "Last seen fighting you when the Crystal activated."
I kept my face perfectly still. Years of training. Years of locking everything away. "He was there. The blast separated us. I assumed he died."
"They don't think so. They think we took him prisoner. They're demanding we hand him over."
"And if we don't?"
"Then we fight." Vex's jaw tightened. "Again. Right here. While the Crystal is unstable and half our people are wounded."
Silence. I could feel Dorian's presence through the bond—closer now, listening. Heard everything.
Don't, I thought at him. Not even meaning to send it. Just thinking. Don't you dare.
The bond pulsed with something that felt like a laugh.
Wouldn't dream of it, came back. Not words, exactly. Feelings. Impressions. But unmistakably his voice.
I shoved the reaction down.
"Let me talk to them," I said.
Vex blinked. "You?"
"I fought him. I was closest when the Crystal activated. Maybe I saw something that can help."
It was thin. Stupid. She'd never agree.
But Vex studied me for a long moment, then nodded slowly. "Fine. But Aris goes with you. And if anything feels wrong—"
"I know. Kill first, ask never."
"That's my girl."
The Umbran team waited in a small clearing at the edge of the ruins.
There were five of them—four warriors and a healer. The healer was a young woman with silver-streaked dark hair and eyes that looked too old for her face. She watched me approach with an intensity that made my skin crawl.
"You're the one," she said. "The one who was with my brother."
My step faltered. "Brother?"
"Dorian. Ash. Whatever name he gave you." She stepped forward, ignoring the warriors who tried to hold her back. "I'm Lysandra. His twin. And I know he's alive."
"How could you possibly—"
"Because I can feel him." She touched her chest. "Twins have their own bond. It's weaker than whatever you two did, but it's enough. He's alive. And he's close." Her silver eyes bored into mine. "What did you do to him?"
I should have lied. Should have played dumb. Should have done a hundred things that would have kept me safe.
But the bond pulsed again—Dorian's presence, warm and urgent—and I felt what he felt for this woman. Love. Deep, protective, desperate love.
She was his sister. His real family. The only one who'd ever been kind to him.
"Not here," I said quietly. "Come with me. Alone."
The warriors protested. Lysandra ignored them.
"Lead the way."
I took her to the pillar where I'd spent the night. Far enough from both camps to be private. Close enough to run if things went wrong.
"He's hiding," I said. "In the shadows. He can hear us."
Lysandra closed her eyes. When she opened them, they were wet. "Dori. You idiot. You beautiful, reckless idiot."
The shadows behind her shifted. Dorian emerged like he was born from darkness itself—which, knowing him, he probably was.
"Sister mine," he said softly. "Miss me?"
She hit him. Full force, palm to chest, hard enough to make him stumble.
"You—you—" She hit him again. "Three days. Three days I thought you were dead. Three days I've been lying to Father, telling him you were on a mission, covering for you like always—"
"Lyss—"
"And now I find out you're not dead, you're just hiding? With an Ember-Knight? With the woman who tried to kill you?"
"To be fair, she didn't succeed."
"THAT'S NOT THE POINT."
Dorian caught her hands, pulled her close, held her while she shook. Through the bond, I felt his love for her—fierce and protective and absolute.
"I'm sorry," he whispered. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean for any of this to happen."
"Then what happened?" She pulled back, looking between us. "Really? What happened?"
Dorian looked at me. I looked at him.
Then we both held up our hands and pulled off our gloves.
Lysandra stared at the matching marks. Gold and silver, swirling endlessly, glowing faintly in the dawn light.
"The Crystal," she breathed. "It bonded you."
"Completely," Dorian said. "We can't separate by more than a mile without pain. We can feel each other's emotions. And if one of us dies—"
"So does the other." Lysandra's face went pale. "Father will kill you himself."
"Father will try. But first we have a bigger problem." Dorian looked toward the camps. "Your people want me dead. My people want her dead. And the Crystal is still out there, humming away, waiting for someone to use it."
"Use it for what?"
"The Eclipsed," I said. Both twins looked at me. "The fanatics who attacked the watchtower. They want the Crystal. They want to trigger an eternal eclipse—strip everyone of magic, leave everyone powerless."
Lysandra frowned. "That's insane."
"That's what fanatics do." Dorian ran a hand through his hair. "Look, we don't have time for this. Both teams are about to start fighting again, and if that happens, the real enemy wins. We need a truce."
"A truce?" I stared at him. "With your people? My people? They've been killing each other for centuries."
"And we've been bonded for twelve hours. Which of those is more powerful right now?" He stepped closer, taking my hand. Through the bond, I felt his sincerity—raw and real and terrifying. "The Crystal chose us for a reason. We have to trust that."
"I don't trust anything."
"Trust me."
"Literally hours ago you tried to kill me."
"And now I'd die for you." He said it simply. Like it was obvious. Like it was the most natural thing in the world. "The bond changed everything. You know it as well as I do."
I wanted to argue. Wanted to pull away, run back to my people, pretend none of this had happened.
But the bond pulsed. Warm. Steady. True.
And for the first time in three years, since my brother died and I locked everything away—
I didn't want to be alone.
"Fine," I whispered. "Truce. But if your people try anything—"
"They won't. Lyss will handle them." He looked at his sister. "Right?"
Lysandra stared at us for a long moment. Then, slowly, she smiled.
"You two are going to be the death of me," she said. "But yes. I'll handle our people. You handle yours." She looked at me. "Can you do that? Convince your commander to sit down with the enemy?"
I thought of Vex. Of her hatred for Shadow-Weavers. Of the way she'd looked at me when she asked about Dorian.
"I can try," I said.
"Good." Dorian squeezed my hand. "Because if this doesn't work, we're all dead."
"Comforting."
"I try."
We walked back to the camps together—all three of us, in plain sight.
The reaction was immediate.
Soldiers from both sides raised weapons. Shouts rang out. Someone threw a knife that Dorian caught without looking.
"Everyone STOP!" I screamed.
Silence fell.
"We need to talk," I said loudly. "All of us. Before anyone else dies."
Commander Vex pushed through the crowd, her face like thunder. "Valtoris. Explain. Now."
I took a deep breath.
Then I told them everything.