Kaelen
Kaelen couldn't believe what he was seeing.
The violet light.
The murderer's heart.
Was now a brilliant white that made him squint.
He stood in the remains of the shattered trapdoor, his boots crunching on splinters of oak and dried herbs.
The cellar, which should have been a dark, damp hole smelling of salt and failure, was transformed into a blinding sanctuary. The radiance pressed against his skin with a warmth that felt like an insult to his face.
This white light was off the charts.
It was so pure.
It was exactly what the Council needed, what he needed, to maintain their grip on a city that was slowly dimming.
"Secure the girl," Kaelen barked, his voice echoing off the walls.
He didn't look at his men.
His eyes were locked on the boy who stood like a shadow against the brilliance of his own lantern.
Eira was there, clinging to the boy's arm, her face smudged with soot and tears.
To Kaelen, she was a masterpiece of opportunity.
The Master Healer's daughter was kidnapped and corrupted by a violet light.
If he brought her back safely, he would be a hero.
"Eira, step away from him," Kaelen commanded, holding out a hand encased in a silver-plated glove. "You've been drugged. You don't know what you're doing. That boy is a monster."
"He didn't kidnap me!" Eira shouted, her voice trembling. "And he's not a monster. Look at the light, Kaelen! Does this look like corruption to you?"
Kaelen's jaw tightened. "It looks like a thief who stole a power he cannot contain. Men, take her."
A Warden lunged forward.
He was a thick-necked brute with a scar splitting his upper lip. He reached for Eira's arm with fingers that had broken bones before, and he was smiling.
Soren shoved Eira behind him, his hand finding the heavy iron fire-poker that had been resting near the coal bin.
The poker slammed into the man's cheek with a wet, crunching sound echoing off the stone walls.
Teeth scattered across the floor like yellow dice.
The Warden's smile remained frozen on the half of his face that was still intact as he crumpled, his skull smashing into the edge of the coal bin with a dull clang.
He did not get up.
"You aren't touching her," Soren hissed.
Kaelen drew his own sword, the blade etched with runes that hummed with a sickly orange glow.
"You're a tragedy, boy," Kaelen said, his eyes narrowing. "A mistake."
Kaelen lunged.
He aimed for the throat, wanting to feel the blade crush against the cartilage.
Soren dodged with the iron poker, the clash of metal sending a shower of sparks through the white mist.
He was raw and unrefined, using all his weight to shove Kaelen back.
Kaelen was patient.
He waited for the opening.
It cam quickly
Soren overextended, swinging for Kaelen's head.
Kaelen ducked, the iron poker whistling inches above his hair, and drove the hilt of his sword into Soren's ribs.
He felt the sickening crunch of bone giving way.
Soren wheezed, stumbling back, his grip on the lantern loosening. Blood bubbled at his lips.
"Soren!" Eira screamed.
The second Warden had her by the wrist now, his fingers locked around her arm hard enough to grind bone against bone.
But Eira had stopped struggling against his grip.
She drove the shard of glass into his face.
The Warden didn't scream. He couldn't. The shock was too complete.
He just stood there, mouth open, as Eira twisted the shard and pulled it out in a spray of blood.
His knees buckled. He released her arm and clawed at the air, his eyes rolling wildly.
Eira slammed her palm into the wound, driving the broken shard chhek, and shoved him backward into the wall.
"Eira!" Soren gasped, lunging forward again.
Kaelen quickly sidestepped and drew his blade across the boy's thigh.
Soren cried out, his leg buckling as blood began to soak through his dark trousers.
Kaelen stood over him, the tip of his glowing sword hovering inches from Soren's throat. He felt a surge of triumph so sharp it tasted like wine.
He snorted.
"You thought a kiss and a change of colour made you special?" Kaelen sneered, glancing at the white flame that continued to pulse with a steady rhythm. "It just makes you a more valuable prize."
He reached down to grab the handle of the lantern, but even as Soren lay bleeding on the ground, his hand shot out, gripping Kaelen's ankle.
"Run," Soren wheezed, looking toward Eira. "Eira, run!"
Kaelen looked at the girl.
She was fighting the Warden, her eyes fixed on Soren with a look that Kaelen felt a flicker of genuine disgust.
He brought the blade down, but before it could connect, the white light flared with a blinding intensity that felt like a physical explosion, throwing Kaelen backward into the stone wall.
The world turned into a whirlpool of white, and for the first time in his life, Kaelen felt a cold, stabbing sensation in his chest.
Fear.