Ravenspire welcomed us back like nothing had happened.
Lanterns still glowed above the streets. Vendors still shouted about their food. Music still spilled out of taverns, loud and careless, as if the forest outside the walls was not filled with blood and death.
But I could not shake the feeling.
The Blood Council was closer now.
Not rumors.
Not shadows.
Real.
And they had spoken my name out loud.
By the time we returned to the Raven Guild Hall, the sky had darkened.
The courtyard gates opened, and the moment we stepped inside, I knew something was wrong.
The guild was too quiet.
The usual noise of sparring and laughter was gone. Instead, armed Raven guards stood along the walls, their expressions tense.
Darius Crowe stood at the center of the courtyard, waiting.
His cloak moved slightly in the wind.
His eyes were calm.
But calm did not mean peaceful.
It meant controlled anger.
Varric walked ahead of the squad and stopped before him.
"Report," Darius said.
Varric's jaw tightened.
"We found the caravan," he replied. "It was destroyed."
Darius's eyes narrowed.
"And the supplies," he asked.
Varric gestured toward the sacks we carried.
"Some recovered," he said. "But the mana crystals were stolen."
Darius's gaze sharpened.
"Who took them," he asked.
Varric hesitated.
Then he spoke.
"Blood puppets," he said. "Forbidden craft. Council work."
The courtyard fell into an uneasy silence.
A few guards exchanged glances.
Darius did not react.
But I saw the smallest shift in his eyes.
He was not surprised.
He was calculating.
Darius stepped forward slowly.
"Blood Council craft does not appear outside Ravenspire without reason," he said quietly.
His gaze moved across the trainees.
Then it stopped on me.
"Mira Vale," he said.
My stomach tightened.
I stepped forward.
"Yes," I replied.
Darius's voice was calm.
"Tell me what happened," he ordered.
I inhaled slowly.
I could feel Kael beside me.
He did not speak, but his presence was steady.
I began.
"We followed the trail," I said. "We found the wreckage. Then the puppets attacked."
Darius's eyes stayed fixed on me.
"And," he said, "how did you survive"
I met his gaze.
"We fought," I replied.
Darius did not blink.
"That is not an answer," he said.
The courtyard felt colder.
Varric stepped forward.
"She fought well," he said. "Too well."
Lyra flinched.
Kael's jaw tightened.
Darius raised a hand, silencing everyone.
Then he looked at me again.
"Those puppets were designed to kill trained blood mages," he said. "Yet you, a merchant girl with no aura, survived."
His voice lowered.
"Explain."
I forced my expression to remain calm.
"My father trained me," I repeated.
Darius's eyes narrowed slightly.
"What was his name," he asked.
My mind moved quickly.
I glanced at Kael for half a second.
And Kael understood immediately.
He stepped forward.
"Her father was named Tomas Vale," Kael said smoothly. "A border soldier."
Darius's gaze flicked to Kael.
"And you," he said. "Why do you know her father's name so well"
Kael smiled.
"Because she told me," he replied. "And because I am good at remembering names."
Varric scoffed.
"You are good at stealing," he muttered.
Kael's smile did not fade.
"Also that," he admitted.
Darius stared at Kael for a moment.
Then he turned back to me.
"And the masked man," he said. "The one who trapped you."
My chest tightened.
I spoke carefully.
"He called us insects," I said. "Then he tried to seal our blood aura."
Darius's voice sharpened slightly.
"And what else did he say," he asked.
I hesitated just long enough to make it believable.
"He called me… royal blood," I said.
The courtyard murmured immediately.
Lyra's eyes widened.
One of the trainees whispered.
"That is what he said"
Darius's face did not change.
But his gaze became heavier.
He looked at Varric.
"And you believed him," Darius asked.
Varric's jaw tightened.
"I do not know what to believe," he admitted. "But she moves like someone trained in the capital."
Darius's eyes returned to me.
"Mira," he said calmly, "look at me."
I did.
Darius stepped closer.
Close enough that I could feel his aura pressing faintly against my skin.
He spoke quietly.
"I do not care if you are royal," he said. "I do not care if you are cursed. I do not care if you are a runaway."
His eyes sharpened.
"But I care if your secrets bring war to my city."
I held his gaze.
"They will come here whether I exist or not," I said honestly.
Darius paused.
That truth landed.
Because it was true.
The Blood Council did not respect borders.
They only respected power.
Darius studied me for a long moment.
Then he stepped back.
"Varric," he said. "Double security."
Varric nodded.
Darius turned to the trainees.
"You all did well enough to return alive," he said. "But do not mistake survival for victory."
His gaze swept over them.
"The forest is infected. Ravenspire is being tested."
He paused.
"And if the Blood Council wants something from my land, they will have to bleed for it."
The guards around the courtyard murmured in approval.
Darius turned away.
"Dismissed," he ordered.
The trainees quickly scattered.
Lyra walked away silently, her earlier hatred replaced with unease.
Varric stayed behind for a moment, staring at me like I was a puzzle.
Then he left too.
Only Kael and I remained standing in the courtyard.
The wind blew softly.
Kael exhaled.
"Well," he muttered. "That went wonderfully."
I glanced at him.
"You saved me," I said quietly.
Kael blinked.
Then he shrugged.
"You asked for my opinion," he replied. "I gave it. That is what mates do."
The word mates made my chest tighten slightly.
I frowned.
"Do not get used to it," I muttered.
Kael grinned.
"I already am," he replied.
I turned away, hiding my expression.
Kael followed behind me as we walked through the guild hall corridors.
For once, the hall felt less alive.
More watchful.
More suspicious.
Kael spoke quietly.
"You think Darius believes you," he asked.
"I do not know," I replied.
Kael nodded.
"Neither do I," he muttered. "But I know one thing."
I glanced at him.
Kael's face became serious.
"Varric does not trust you," he said. "And people like him do not stop until they prove they are right."
I nodded.
"I know," I said.
Kael hesitated.
Then he spoke again.
"You did well today," he said softly. "You stayed calm. You stayed smart."
I looked at him.
"And you," I said, "almost got yourself killed."
Kael smirked.
"That is also my talent," he replied.
We reached the inn later that night.
The streets outside were still loud, still full of music.
But inside the room, silence wrapped around us.
Kael sat on the edge of the bed, staring at his arm.
The poison scratch was still visible, though the black veins had faded.
He was quiet.
Too quiet.
I sat across from him.
"Kael," I said.
He did not answer immediately.
Then he spoke softly.
"You know what is funny," he murmured.
"What," I asked.
Kael's smile was weak.
"I used to think the Blood Council was just a rumor," he said. "A scary story parents told children."
His eyes lifted to mine.
"But now… they are real."
He paused.
"And if they are real… then she is real too."
My heart tightened.
"You mean your sister," I said.
Kael nodded slowly.
"I heard something today," he whispered.
I leaned forward slightly.
"What," I asked.
Kael swallowed.
"In the forest," he said. "When the puppets attacked, I heard a voice."
My breath caught.
Kael continued, his voice trembling slightly.
"A girl screaming," he whispered. "Not in the forest. In my head."
He clenched his fists.
"She sounded like her," he said. "Like my sister."
Silence hit the room.
I stared at him.
That was not imagination.
Not with blood craft involved.
Kael's voice lowered.
"If the Blood Council is using blood puppets outside Ravenspire," he said, "then they are moving something."
He looked at me.
"And if they are moving something… maybe they are moving prisoners."
My chest tightened.
The Queen's voice whispered.
A trap.
But Kael's eyes were full of hope.
And hope was dangerous.
Because it could make you reckless.
Kael's voice softened.
"Elara," he said quietly, "I know you are chasing your throne."
He paused.
"But if I find her…"
His voice broke slightly.
"…I will burn this kingdom down myself."
I stared at him.
And for the first time, I understood.
Kael was not just following me.
He was hunting his own revenge.
I nodded slowly.
"Then we will burn it together," I said.
Kael stared at me.
Then he smiled faintly.
"Good," he whispered.
Outside the inn window, Ravenspire's lanterns flickered in the distance.
But above the rooftops, I saw something else.
A shadow moving across the skyline.
A bird.
A raven.
No.
Not a raven.
Something larger.
Something unnatural.
The Queen's voice whispered sharply.
The Blood Council has eyes in the sky.
My crown mark pulsed once.
And I knew.
Ravenspire's lively streets were about to become a battlefield.