Calm After the Storm
I had not bathed in days, and when order was finally restored in the Sanctum, it was the first thing I did.
After Darveth's defeat, he was dragged to the dungeons beneath the Black Hold. The other traitorous Bound and Forsaken within Thornwick were also collared and imprisoned before they could flee. The Forsaken scattered across the conquered districts fled the moment word of Darveth's fall spread through the city, and the High Bound who betrayed us were never found. I suppose they fled too.
When I entered the Sanctum and removed the glowing collars from the Ascend, Ascend Veylan performed the rites needed to restore balance from the blood that had been spilled.
Thanks be to the Light, the Black Stone ritual had not yet been completed. Once released from the Upper Room, Ascend Kaelric stopped the ritual himself.
But stopping it did not undo everything.
Some of the guards we had fought — the ones already wounded while under the Black Stone's control — dropped dead the moment its power faded from them. The others, the remaining Bound, Novitiates, and guards, were finally freed from its influence.
For the first time in days, the Sanctum could finally breathe.
I still had not spoken to Doya about what he said — about fraying.
The thought of it terrified me. Like speaking the words aloud would somehow make them real. But I needed to understand what was happening to him.
I had so many questions. Ones I was not sure I wanted answers to.
The water was warm as I scrubbed the blood from my skin. I scrubbed longer than I needed to, like I could erase everything if I tried hard enough. Like the past few days could just... come off.
My stomach growled again. It had been doing that for a while now. It wasn't until the sound filled the silence that I remembered just how hungry I was.
After I finished bathing, I stepped out of the bath chamber and returned to the room. It wasn't long before a knock sounded at the door.
"Come in," I called.
The attendant entered with a tray of food.
Food. Finally.
My stomach tightened at the sight and smell of it.
The moment she set it down and left, I was already at the table, pulling the food closer. It was a bowl of grain porridge, a small portion of roasted vegetables and a piece of bread. I quickly drank the water beside it, and only then did I realize how parched I'd been. The water was so sweet as it slid down my throat. Only after that did I finally reach for the food.
---
I had not finished eating when another knock came at my door.
I paused, lifting a hand into my hair in frustration. "Come in."
The door opened, and one of the Novitiates stood outside. His robe was still marked with dust at the hem.
"Forgive me if I've disturbed you," he said. "The Ascend have called for you."
My hands were still near the bowl. I dragged both hands down my face and let out a slow breath.
"Now?" I asked, though I already knew the answer.
He nodded once.
My gaze drifted to the food, then to him. I had been starving for days, and now—
I exhaled through my nose.
He only stood there, rigid at my door, waiting.
I took one last bite of the bread quickly, drank what remained of the water, and pushed myself up slowly, following after him.
When we reached the front of the Inner Sanctum, the Novitiate gave a short bow before turning away. I pushed the doors open and stepped inside.
All the Ascend were present, well except Darveth, of course. One seat remained empty.
I took it.
"Dana, welcome," Ascend Kaelric said.
I offered a small smile as I sat, though it didn't quite reach my eyes. I was still irritated I hadn't finished my meal.
"You have proven yourself worthy of the Guardian title," Ascend Elyndra said. "Thank you for restoring order to the Temple."
Well, I couldn't have done that without Malvorin. Though, I did not tell them that part. Instead, I said, "Thank you. Restoring the Temple would not have been possible without the help of my allies — the Bound and the Ascend alike."
She gave a slight nod.
"Now," Kaelric continued, "we have called you here to decide our next course of action. Balshak is coming. And though the front gates have been secured and Bound have been dispatched across the districts, we must prepare for what we cannot yet see."
"In what way have the gates been secured?" I asked, needing the full picture.
"Corvath has placed some Bound to patrol alongside the guards on duty," he replied.
"Sigils will also be placed along the perimeter," Corvath added. "Wards strong enough to hold against a direct strike."
"Balshak can veil-walk," Seraphine interjected. "We cannot allow him to slip into the Temple through the Veil itself."
"How many?" I asked, then hesitated. "The districts... how many did we lose?"
"Nine districts defected, leaving fifteen that were attacked," Corvath replied.
"That's not what I'm asking. I'm talking about the people." My voice dropped.
"We do not know an exact number, but based on our calculations of the destruction and bodies recovered, we lost about seven thousand people," he responded.
My heart lurched at the number. I couldn't imagine what the bereaved would have to endure.
Seeing the hurt on my face, Corvath added, "The districts will be rebuilt. We are already working on swift restoration."
I didn't care about the districts. I cared about the people — the ones we had just lost.
I couldn't find my words, so I stayed silent.
"Is the connection to the Cranium still distant from you?" a raspy voice cut through the room.
Ascend Serathiel was a man of very few words. He rarely spoke during meetings. The oldest of the council, he was frail, his body often trembled when he walked, leaning heavily on his staff. I had never seen much of his power firsthand, but something about his presence told me he had earned his place in the council, because it takes power to hold that position.
"No," I answered. "The connection to the Cranium is still masked." I hesitated, my fingers tightening slightly against the edge of the table, before I continued. "Darveth said something..." Their gazes stayed fixed on me. "He said I was just an instrument used to keep the Cranium functioning," I murmured.
The room fell silent. They exchanged glances with one another, like they didn't know how to respond to what I had just said.
"What?" I asked.
"Well, Dana..." Kaelric muttered, leaning further onto the table. "The Cranium is connected to you. You already know that."
"Yes, but I did not know my death would render it dormant," I said, exasperated. "Is that why you have kept me here in the Sanctum? To make sure I do not die so the Cranium can continue functioning?"
"You are the Guardian, Dana," he replied carefully.
"But you should have told me this much." My voice sharpened. "What else are you not telling me?"
"You know everything you need to know."
"Well, what about Anthos?" My gaze moved across their faces. "I know almost nothing about him. The power of the Cranium belongs to him, does it not?"
"He is not to be spoken of."
"Why?" I shot back. "Why all this secrecy? It does not help you. It does not help anyone." My jaw tightened. "A siege grew beneath your noses because no one speaks." My voice rose before I could stop it.
"Enough, Dana." Kaelric's hand slammed against the table. "Your duty as the Guardian is to keep the Cranium from the enemy, and you failed at that. That same enemy is now marching toward us with war at its back. What we need right now is to find a way to reclaim the Cranium and survive what is coming." His gaze hardened. "What we do not need is for you to question the order of this council."
I had never heard Kaelric speak to me this way before. There had been times when he was angry, times when he had spoken with frightening seriousness, but this... this was different.
So I stayed silent and listened.
"Yes," he continued more evenly. "Mistakes have been made. Secrets have been kept. But they were necessary."
He sighed heavily.
"I did not summon you here to discuss whatever Darveth said to poison your thoughts."
He rose from his seat, looming over the table as his eyes swept across the chamber.
"I have already sent word to King Achaleous requesting aid from his army. I do not know how long it will take them to arrive, but they will come."
He stepped away from his chair and began to pace slowly around the room.
"With the traitorous Bound restrained within the Black Hold, we are left with only seven hundred Bound prepared to fight."
Seven hundred.
That was far too small a number for a war against the Forsaken.
"Some Novitiates still in training have been promoted out of urgency, increasing our forces to nearly a thousand Bound, but even that will not be enough." Kaelric's expression hardened. "This time, every High Bound must be prepared to fight. We will defend what is ours."
At least they were not leaving this to the Bound alone to fight.
After the meeting with the Ascend, I left the Inner Sanctum and started walking back to my room.
"Dana..." I heard his voice call after me, but I didn't turn back. I wasn't ready to speak to him just yet.
"Hey, Dana," he said again, catching up to me and holding my arms.
I turned to meet his gaze. "What is it, Doya?" I sighed.
"I'm sorry about everything." His eyes held a glint of concern.
"You're not supposed to be here, you know that," I murmured.
"After the siege, Kaelric lifted the ban on me, and the expulsion was revoked," he said.
He didn't let go of my arms. Instead, he stepped closer, so close I could feel his warmth against my face. "We need to talk."
"Now is not the time, Doya," I said, turning away and yanking my hands from his hold.
"This is exactly the time," he said quickly, stepping in front of me. "Please."
---
Doya came back with me to my room. Given everything that had happened, something between us felt... off.
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you," he said as soon as we were inside.
I sighed, pouring drinking water into a cup and placing it on the table for him.
"Then why didn't you tell me?"
"I-I don't know. I just couldn't." He inhaled deeply, then exhaled. "I guess I was terrified."
I let out a short laugh as I sat across from him. "You? Terrified?"
He kept a straight face. A short silence settled before I asked again. "What's really going on with you? What did you mean by fraying?"
He closed his eyes.
"I'm losing my strength... and my powers too," he said.
"Why? How? I don't understand. When did this start?"
"Months ago..." he whispered, nodding slowly. "I found out a little while before you bonded with the Cranium."
"What? It's been that long? All this time..."
He nodded again.
"If I don't take in the residual energy I stored in the urn, my life force will deteriorate."
I stood up abruptly, rubbing my temple as I began pacing the room. I couldn't wrap my head around it — any of it. I just wanted to scream.
"What can I do to help you? There has to be a solution."
"There's... there's nothing you can do," he shrugged.
"How long will the urn keep you stable?"
"I don't know..."
My fists tightened. I turned sharply toward the bed and struck it with my hand in frustration.
"Dana..." He stood quickly, moving toward me as I spiraled, and held me.
"I can't..." I shook my head. "I can't lose you." My voice broke. "How did this happen? Why you?" A sting hit my eyes as tears began to form.
He didn't respond. Instead, he pulled me closer and held me, but I pushed away from him as the tears fell freely.
"Please don't cry, Dana," his voice came out hoarse.
My chest was tight. I was overwhelmed. Tired of it all. The constant heartbreak. The constant suffering.
"Dana—"
"No!" I snapped, shoving him back. "Why you? Of all people, why you?"
His arms wrapped around me again from behind, holding me firmly. The warmth of him — his presence — made my body hesitate, even as my emotions spiraled.
"What if..." I whispered, turning slightly. "What if I siphon some of my energy into the urn? Would that help?"
His eyes dropped briefly to my lips before meeting my eyes again.
"No... there's a scroll I read. Guardians and Bonds."
"Okay... and what did it say?"
"Remember I told you we were connected?" he said. I nodded. "That connection was severed after you bonded with the Cranium."
"I don't understand."
He exhaled slowly. "You used to be my source, Dana." His hands cupped my face gently. "And right now... I have no source."
"Source?" My voice cracked. "Doya, I don't understand any of this."
"It's okay," he said softly, forcing a small smile. "Only my residual energy can sustain me now. No one else's energy can... except that which was stored in the urn before, from someone who has already passed."
"There has to be another way..." I whispered.
He didn't say anything. Instead, he stepped closer, his gaze dropping briefly to my lips again. His warm breath brushed against my skin, making my knees weaken.
His hands were still cupping my face as he gently wiped away my tears with his thumb.
My breath caught as we leaned in closer, our lips brushing—
Then a knock sounded at the door.
The sound shattered the moment, startling us both as we jolted apart at the same time.
I straightened myself and walked to the door, swinging it open.
"Dana..." Kumbuye muttered, a smile tugging at his lips as he slipped into the room — then he noticed Doya.
"Oh," he paused. "Did I disturb something?"