"There was something in the lake…" Rovan Ashford wheezed between ragged breaths, his face pale beneath the blood and lake muck. "A crocodile. No— no, that thing was a damned monster."
Mira Stonwell knelt beside him in the grass, her soaked robes clinging to every soft curve of her body as she pressed two fingers against several points along his chest and shoulder. Threads of earth-colored Vitae slipped into his flesh, sealing ruptured vessels and slowing the bleeding.
"What in the hell were you doing in the lake?" she asked.
Rovan answered on instinct.
"We were competing to see who could—"
He froze.
The words died in his throat.
The memory of why he had made that idiotic wager with Kael came rushing back all at once, and heat flooded his face.
Mira blinked. "You were what?"
Her gaze shifted toward Kael.
Kael was already glaring at Rovan.
Rovan glared right back.
For several long seconds, the two young men stared at each other like cornered wolves, both looking deeply embarrassed and deeply unwilling to admit why.
Mira looked from one idiot to the other.
Then her expression twisted into irritation.
"What are you two actually doing?" she snapped. "One of you dives into a death lake, the other somehow ends up hiding in—"
She stopped abruptly.
Her pretty face turned bright red as she remembered exactly where Kael had surfaced.
The hidden spring.
Where she had been bathing.
Where his damned hand had—
Her voice dropped into a flustered mutter.
"You're both completely insane…"
Rovan stared at her.
Only then did he fully notice she was drenched from head to toe.
Her robes were nearly transparent.
The wet fabric clung to her breasts, her waist, the soft line of her thighs. Pale skin gleamed beneath the cloth like moonlight beneath mist.
Rovan's heart slammed against his ribs.
His thoughts became profoundly stupid.
Gods…
She looks like a flower rising from water.
Then another thought struck him.
Why the hell is she wet too?
Kael's eyes darted sideways, mind moving fast.
"The weather's hot," he said smoothly. "I jumped in to cool off."
Then he narrowed his eyes at Rovan.
"What about you?"
Rovan immediately nodded.
"Yes. Exactly. Very hot day. Terrible heat. I also entered the lake for cooling-related reasons."
Mira stared at both of them.
Her expression made it clear she believed neither word.
"Liar."
She pointed at Kael.
Then at Rovan.
"Liar."
Then she sighed.
"I don't have time for whatever madness this is. We need to get you to Soror Sylva before your injuries worsen."
She moved toward Rovan.
"I'll help you walk."
Rovan immediately forced himself upright despite feeling like his ribs had been hammered apart.
"No need," he said through clenched teeth. "I can walk myself."
The moment the words left his mouth, he regretted them more than anything he had ever said in his life.
Mira looked at him with soft concern.
"But your injuries are severe. You shouldn't force yourself."
Rovan nearly blacked out from happiness.
He had to summon all of his noble upbringing not to grin like a drunk fool.
Kael, meanwhile, felt a cold spike of panic.
This was bad.
Very bad.
Mira turned calmly toward him.
"Kael."
He blinked.
"Yes?"
"You carry him."
Both men froze.
Their souls briefly left their bodies.
"What?"
"What?"
Mira folded her arms.
"Move."
Neither dared refuse.
---
Kael carried Rovan across his shoulders as they made their way back toward the tower.
Rovan leaned close and lowered his voice.
"How are you fine?"
Kael kept walking.
"What?"
"The monster," Rovan whispered. "What happened to it?"
Kael's face tightened.
He certainly wasn't about to explain that he had ripped a glowing relic from the roof of a giant beast's mouth, swallowed said relic after being assaulted by Selene, and nearly died while accidentally groping Mira underwater.
So he did what came naturally.
He lied magnificently.
Kael snorted.
"A pathetic overgrown lizard like that?" he said. "Did you really think it could challenge the great Lord Ashvane of the Jade Peaks?"
Rovan blinked.
"You killed it?"
Kael lifted his chin.
"After a long and glorious battle beneath the water. Very heroic. You're welcome."
Rovan looked genuinely impressed.
"I may have misjudged you."
Kael smirked.
"You usually do."
Then his expression darkened.
"And now that you understand how powerful I am, stop eyeing my Third Soror."
Rovan smiled faintly.
"Are you nervous?"
Kael nearly dropped him.
"Nervous?" he barked. "Of you?"
Rovan's smile widened.
"You seem very protective of Soror Selene."
Kael's expression turned savage.
"Yes. So?"
Rovan leaned closer.
"Then we have no conflict."
Kael frowned.
"What?"
"I want Mira."
Kael stopped walking.
"What?"
Rovan's voice grew quieter.
"I want Mira Stonwell."
Kael stared at him as though he had just confessed treason.
"No."
Rovan blinked.
"No?"
"She's mine too."
Rovan looked genuinely horrified.
"What do you mean too?"
Kael's face lit with shameless greed.
"My four sorors are all mine."
Rovan stared.
Kael continued proudly.
"Auryn will be my first wife."
He raised one finger.
"Sylva will be my second."
A second finger.
"Selene is my third."
A third finger.
"Mira is obviously my fourth."
A fourth finger.
Then he lowered his voice dreamily.
"And Zaeli will absolutely become my warm-bed concubine."
He paused.
Then his eyes widened.
And what about Shreve Lyra…
That thought nearly stopped his heart.
The woman was terrifying.
Beautiful beyond reason.
And entirely capable of killing him.
His ears turned red.
Rovan looked at him like he was clinically insane.
"You greedy bastard."
Kael grinned.
"A great man requires a great household."
"You can't even handle Soror Selene."
That hit like a knife.
Kael's smile vanished instantly.
His chest tightened.
He remembered Selene's tears.
Her rage.
Her humiliation.
The memory of her naked beneath the spring nearly sent his thoughts spiraling into dangerous territory.
He said nothing.
For a while, both men were quiet.
Then Rovan spoke again.
This time there was no humor in his voice.
"No matter what happens…"
He looked ahead at Mira.
"I will marry her."
Kael's eyes narrowed.
"I'll kill you first."
Rovan's gaze remained calm.
"There has never been anything I wanted that I failed to obtain."
Kael's temper exploded.
"Then I'll beat you until your brains leak out your ears!"
Rovan barked a laugh.
"Try."
Their voices rose.
"Gladly!"
"Anytime!"
"Enough!"
Mira's voice floated from behind them.
Both men immediately stiffened.
They turned.
She stood several paces back, brows slightly knit, lips drawn into a soft little frown.
"Why are you two always fighting?" she asked quietly. "You're brothers of the same Order. Can't you speak like civilized people?"
Both young men stared at her.
The gentle irritation in her face.
The softness of her voice.
The faint pink still lingering in her cheeks.
Their anger evaporated instantly.
Both looked completely lovestruck.
Neither spoke another word.
---
Inside the tower, in a quiet corner of the great hall, Rovan sat cross-legged with his eyes shut.
Soft green light wrapped around his body like warm mist.
The torn flesh across his back and ribs visibly knitted together.
Blood dried.
Skin reformed.
Pain faded.
Sylva Dreyn sat behind him, legs folded beneath her. Her arms moved in slow circles as she guided streams of wood-aspected Vitae into his wounds.
Her healing arts were terrifyingly precise.
Kael watched with open envy.
He wanted that ability.
Not for noble reasons.
Mostly because it would save him from the consequences of his own terrible decisions.
The doors opened.
Selene entered beside Lyra Farrow.
Both had returned from bathing.
Kael's throat immediately tightened.
Selene looked fresh and radiant.
Her damp hair spilled over her shoulders.
Her skin glowed.
She refused to look at him.
Kael felt both relieved and strangely disappointed.
Lyra's gaze drifted over the room.
"What happened?"
Kael immediately launched into a carefully edited retelling.
He omitted the competition.
He omitted the hidden spring.
He omitted the accidental touching.
He omitted nearly everything that would get him murdered.
Instead, he described discovering a monstrous crocodile in the lake.
Then he detailed—at great length—how he had bravely lured the beast away from Rovan.
How he battled it underwater.
How he fought like a legendary hero.
How he became lost beneath the lake.
And how he somehow surfaced inside the hidden spring.
Lyra listened quietly.
When he finished, her eyes narrowed slightly.
"You're saying the spring is connected to the lake below?"
Kael immediately raised a hand.
"On my honor as Lord Ashvane, every word is true."
Selene cut him off instantly.
"Oh, spare me."
Kael blinked.
She folded her arms.
"Why are you swearing oaths? You think that makes anyone trust you?"
Her voice was sharp.
But it lacked the murderous fury from earlier.
That alone made Kael absurdly happy.
He immediately leaned into victimhood.
"You attacked me without asking questions."
Selene's eyes flashed.
"You deserved it."
Kael pointed at his face.
"Look what you did to me."
"You're not even swollen."
Kael opened his mouth.
Closed it.
Selene turned away.
But Kael caught it.
A tiny smile at the edge of her lips.
His heart leapt.
That was the first time she had smiled at him since everything had gone wrong between them.
He nearly floated off the ground.
Lyra, however, remained serious.
"This island has too many secrets."
Something dark flickered in her beautiful eyes.
Concern.
Then—
The green light around Rovan flared brightly.
His wounds sealed completely.
Sylva exhaled and lowered her hands.
Rovan stared at his own body in disbelief.
The deep tears across his flesh were gone.
He flexed his arms.
No pain.
No weakness.
Nothing.
"Incredible…"
He dropped to one knee before Sylva.
"I've heard stories of your healing, Soror Sylva. They didn't do you justice."
Sylva smiled gently.
"We are of the same Order. You owe me no kneeling."
Then her expression shifted.
"That beast…"
She looked at him carefully.
"Was it truly a crocodile?"
Rovan swallowed.
"It looked exactly like one."
He shuddered.
"Just far larger than anything natural. At least forty feet long."
Sylva frowned.
"That size…"
She glanced toward Lyra.
"Could it have been an ancient dragon-crocodile?"
Lyra shook her head immediately.
"No."
Her voice was absolute.
"If they had encountered one of those…"
She looked at Kael.
Then Rovan.
"They would not have returned alive."
Silence fell.
Then—
A violent chorus of shrieking birds erupted from outside.
Everyone went still.
The sound was wrong.
Panicked.
Desperate.
Thousands of wings beating at once.
Zaeli remained behind to guard the unconscious Isara.
Everyone else sprinted upstairs.
They burst onto the second-floor outer walkway.
Across the lake—
the forest exploded with movement.
Flocks of birds erupted from the trees in frantic waves, fleeing into the sky.
Something below had terrified every living creature in the woods.
Lyra's face became unreadable.
"They found us."
Sylva inhaled sharply.
A heavy pressure rolled over the island.
Cold.
Rotten.
Violent.
Demon-Aether.
So thick it felt like breathing through blood.
"There are many of them," Sylva whispered.
Kael couldn't see the energy itself.
His cultivation was still too weak.
But he felt it.
An invisible weight pressed against his chest.
His instincts screamed.
Run.
Hide.
Survive.
Auryn stepped forward.
Golden light shimmered around her body.
Her expression was iron.
"They'll attack soon."
Her gaze moved across all of them.
"We hold this island."
Her voice sharpened.
"No matter what happens, we survive until Master completes the cleansing rite."
Everyone remembered the sea of skeletons.
The blood-spiders.
The endless dead.
The screams.
The tearing flesh.
The nightmare they had barely escaped.
And now it was coming again.
Only this time—
it was coming for them.
"Do you think those skeleton-spiders can swim?" Selene asked.
She tried to sound annoyed.
Kael still heard the fear underneath it.
He looked at her pale face, then at Mira, Sylva, Auryn, even Rovan.
All of them were tense.
All of them had seen too much death already.
Something fierce ignited inside him.
He had clawed his way out of a monster's throat.
He was not going to let these things take them now.
"There are a lot of them," Kael said, forcing a grin onto his face, "but this island wasn't built in the middle of a lake for decoration."
He pointed toward the edges of Lakeheart Isle.
Dark water surrounded them on all sides.
"It's a natural fortress. High ground. Narrow approaches. If those bastards want us, let them come through killing lanes."
Rovan shook his head immediately.
"Too much ground."
His voice carried the blunt certainty of a battlefield commander.
"We don't have enough fighters to defend every side of the island. If we spread too thin, we die separately."
He jabbed a finger toward the tower.
"We fortify inside. Stone walls. Narrow corridors. Easier to reinforce."
Kael glared at him.
"So we hide in a box while the enemy walks wherever they want? Then what's the point of the lake?"
Rovan opened his mouth to argue—
Lyra raised one hand.
Everyone fell silent.
Even the distant shrieking of birds seemed quieter.
"Stop."
Her voice was soft.
It still cut through all of them.
She leaned lazily against a stone pillar, her impossible beauty at complete odds with the apocalypse rushing toward them.
"There are old formations and restrictions scattered across this island," she said. "Most were damaged. Some were dead."
Her lips curved.
"I repaired what I could."
Everyone except Kael stared at her.
Then relief spread across their faces.
Auryn bowed her head respectfully.
"Please give your orders, Shreve."
Lyra nodded.
"The great hall is the most important location."
Her eyes shifted toward the chamber below where Isara remained unconscious while Zaeli guarded her.
"If that hall falls, none of this matters."
Everyone understood.
If Isara's cleansing rite was interrupted—
they were finished.
"So that position needs the strongest defender," Lyra continued. "It will likely become the bloodiest battlefield."
Immediately several voices spoke at once.
"I'll stay."
"Let me guard Master."
"I can hold it—"
Lyra ignored them.
"That duty belongs to Auryn."
Auryn didn't hesitate.
"Yes, Shreve."
No one argued after that.
She was the strongest among them.
And the calmest.
Lyra pointed north toward a ruined stretch of open ground surrounding an ancient stone well.
"See that?"
Sylva narrowed her eyes.
"There's a restriction there."
"Correct."
Lyra looked mildly pleased.
"I restored nearly seventy percent of it."
Sylva's expression changed.
"No…"
Then she whispered—
"The Earth's Binding?"
Even Rovan looked surprised.
"That thing still exists?"
Lyra smirked.
"You really do read your histories."
She straightened and explained.
"Once activated, anything that enters that field becomes drastically heavier. Their movement slows. Flying creatures fall. Fast creatures become crawling prey."
Her gaze moved toward the weapon on Sylva's back.
The Verdant Bow.
Understanding flashed across everyone's face.
Lyra smiled.
"Sylva. You're perfect for that position."
Sylva nodded.
"I understand."
"I'll teach you how to activate the restriction."
Lyra stepped closer and rapidly explained the formation controls.
"You won't need to stand outside. Stay on the second-floor northern platform. Rain death from above."
She paused.
"If the hall starts collapsing, abandon that position and reinforce Auryn."
Sylva nodded again.
"I will."
Lyra turned.
"The third critical point is the suspension bridge."
Everyone looked toward the long bridge connecting the island to the mainland cliffs.
It swayed over dark water.
Old.
Rotting.
Dangerous.
Lyra's eyes narrowed.
"Most creatures that can't fly or swim will likely attack from there."
Kael frowned.
"That bridge looks like it's ready to collapse on its own."
He shrugged.
"Why not destroy it now?"
Lyra slowly shook her head.
Rovan's eyes lit up first.
He laughed.
"Oh, that's cruel."
Lyra smiled.
"Go on."
Rovan pointed at the bridge.
"They'll see the bridge and rush it."
His grin widened.
"They'll pack themselves shoulder to shoulder trying to cross."
Then his grin turned savage.
"And when enough of them are on it…"
He made a slicing motion with his hand.
"Down they go."
Kael barked out a laugh.
"Now that sounds fun."
Rovan laughed harder.
"A bridge full of monsters dropping into the lake?"
He slapped his knee.
"That's beautiful."
Lyra continued.
"That position is over sixty feet from the tower. Once fighting starts, reinforcements will be difficult."
Her expression hardened.
"Who can hold it?"
"I can."
Mira stepped forward.
At the same exact moment—
"I'll go."
Rovan stepped forward too.
Kael's face darkened immediately.
Absolutely not.
Lyra glanced between them.
"Mira's Earth-Spirit Flute can summon multiple earth constructs."
Mira clutched the flute hanging at her waist.
"It works best against groups."
Lyra nodded.
"And Rovan has wards capable of protecting her while she channels."
Rovan straightened proudly.
"I do."
Lyra smiled faintly.
"You two will defend the bridge together."
Kael blurted—
"What?"
Everyone looked at him.
He stared at Mira like she was a lamb being escorted into a wolf den.
Mira blinked at him.
Then touched her own face in confusion.
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
Rovan, meanwhile, looked like he'd just been handed a kingdom.
He kept rubbing his palms together and grinning like an idiot.
Lyra's expression turned cold.
"Listen carefully."
She looked at Mira and Rovan.
"If the bridge becomes impossible to hold—destroy it immediately."
No hesitation.
"No heroics."
"Return to the tower and reinforce Auryn."
Mira nodded.
"Yes."
Rovan nodded much faster.
"Yes. Absolutely. Very responsible. Extremely tactical."
Kael wanted to punch him.
Selene crossed her arms.
"And me?"
Lyra turned toward her.
"You'll defend the southern stone corridor."
Selene blinked.
"Alone?"
A flicker of fear passed through her eyes.
Then pride crushed it.
She lifted her chin.
"Fine."
"That side is mine."
Kael nearly choked.
"Alone?!"
Selene shot him a glare.
"What exactly is that supposed to mean?"
"It means one person isn't enough!"
She folded her arms tighter.
"I am not a child."
Kael stepped forward.
"I'm going with her."
Lyra looked amused.
"In the southern forest and corridor, I restored two smaller formations."
Her eyes glittered.
"I also turned several damaged traps into working kill zones."
She leaned closer.
"Anything that survives all that should be manageable."
Kael didn't budge.
"And if something goes wrong?"
Lyra stared at him.
Then a knowing smile spread across her lips.
Why are you so nervous? her expression said.
Kael froze.
Selene froze too.
Both of them remembered exactly what had happened in the hidden spring.
Their faces turned red at the same time.
Lyra absolutely noticed.
She looked delighted.
Then she turned to Selene.
"One person. Can you do it?"
Kael opened his mouth—
Selene cut him off.
"Yes."
Her voice was firm.
"I'll hold the southern corridor."
Lyra nodded approvingly.
"Good."
Then she turned toward Kael.
"As for you…"
Kael already hated where this was going.
"You'll help me defend the western side of the island."
He forced an ugly laugh.
"Do you really need help?"
He gestured at her.
"You could probably kill everything here by yourself."
He lowered his voice.
"So maybe I should help Selene instead."
Lyra's smile vanished.
"The western rear spans nearly half the island."
Her eyes sharpened.
"I need help."
Kael suddenly brightened.
"Wait."
He pointed downstairs.
"What about Zaeli?"
Lyra cut him off instantly.
"She does not leave your Master's side."
Then her eyes narrowed dangerously.
"And why are you whining so much?"
Kael stiffened.
He suddenly remembered.
Lyra knew far too many embarrassing things about him.
And she enjoyed weaponizing that knowledge.
He folded immediately.
"Right."
He coughed.
"Of course."
He bowed dramatically.
"This humble disciple obeys."
They spent the next stretch of time refining positions.
Fallback routes.
Signal calls.
Retreat timing.
Kill zones.
Supply placements.
By the time they finished—
night had fully fallen.
Auryn glanced outside.
"We still have time before they attack."
She looked at everyone.
"Eat."
No one argued.
They tore through dried meat and stale travel bread in grim silence.
It barely tasted like food.
It tasted like preparation for death.
When the meal ended—
everyone armed themselves.
Steel.
Ward-treasures.
Talismans.
Flasks.
Blades.
Mira suddenly bounced to her feet.
"I'm leaving first!"
She rushed out excitedly.
Unlike Selene, Mira treated killing monsters like an oddly wholesome hobby.
Kael grabbed Rovan by the collar before he could follow.
Rovan blinked.
Kael shoved him against a wall.
"Take care of her."
His voice was deadly serious.
Rovan's grin faded.
For once, he answered like a soldier.
"As long as I breathe—she lives."
Kael stared at him.
Then slowly let go.
"Good."
Rovan hurried after Mira.
Kael turned.
Selene was preparing to leave too.
He quickly moved beside her while no one was looking.
His voice dropped low.
"Be careful."
She didn't answer.
Her head lowered.
For several long seconds—
nothing.
Then she gave the smallest nod.
"Mm."
Kael smiled helplessly.
He turned to leave—
then heard her whisper behind him.
"So should you."
He spun around.
Hope exploded inside him.
But Selene was already hurrying away into the night.
Her ears were bright red.
Kael stood there grinning like an idiot.
"Done flirting?"
Lyra's amused voice hit him like a slap.
His face burned.
He turned.
Lyra was smiling far too knowingly.
Then she walked through a side door.
Kael hurried after her.
They emerged behind the tower.
Kael stared across the western side of Lakeheart Isle.
Dense trees.
Broken ruins.
Ancient stone platforms.
Far too much land.
He swallowed.
"This side is huge."
He looked at Lyra.
"Where exactly are we defending?"
She smiled.
"Did you forget the banana grove pavilion?"
Kael blinked.
Then his eyes widened.
That elevated pavilion overlooked nearly everything.
A perfect killing perch.
He smacked his forehead.
"Right."
Then a vicious grin spread across his face.
His flames flickered around his fingers.
"Burning skeletons from above…"
He cracked his neck.
"Now that sounds like a damn good time."