They returned to the castle just before twilight. No one said much. Ashar had led the way back, quiet, and unreadable, his pace purposeful. Riven trailed behind with Mae, eyes flicking back every few seconds like he wasn't sure whether to keep joking or run.
When they stepped into the main hall, the others looked up from various seats and corners. The tension that had settled while they were gone tightened the moment the trio crossed the threshold. Lucien stood. "Find anything?"
Ashar didn't look at anyone as he said, flatly, "No." Mae blinked, surprised, but said nothing. Sethis narrowed his eyes. "Nothing at all?" Ashar didn't answer. Riven shrugged, sliding into a seat. "Whole lot of pretty trees and broken rocks. Not a damn thing worth noting." Mae hesitated. She felt it, too, that decision. That choice hides the truth. Ashar had made it for now. She didn't like it, but she understood it. Ashar finally turned to the group. "We're running low. We'll need a supply run tomorrow."
Lucien nodded. "We should rotate who goes, cover ground faster."
Ashar's voice sharpened. "Mae stays here." Everyone paused. Mae noticed them looking at her. "What?"
"You stay here," he repeated, looking directly at her this time. "This land is attuned to you. If anything happens while we're out, you can contain it." Her jaw clenched. "You mean if something happens to me, you want to contain me."
"That's not what I said."
"But that's what you meant." Ashar took a step forward, calm but cold. "It's the only way to keep the rest of us safe." Mae stepped toward him. "I'm not a prisoner anymore."
"No. But you're not ready either." Her fists curled at her sides. "You think I'm a threat."
"I think you don't know your limits," he said, tone level. "And I think if you lose control out there-" The ground shuddered beneath their feet. Everyone stopped. The silver-veined floor cracked slightly beneath Mae's boots. She hadn't meant to. She wasn't even trying. But her heart was racing, her chest tight, her pulse thundering with frustration and rejection and something deeper she couldn't name. The world felt it. The castle felt it.
Ashar's jaw tightened, and he raised his hand slowly, not in threat, but in silent readiness. Riven stood fast. "Okay. Enough." All eyes turned to him. Riven stepped between them, hands raised. "This is exactly the kind of shit that gets us killed. Or worse." Mae was still trembling. Her power buzzed in the air like she was static.
Riven turned to Ashar. "You want to keep her safe? Fine. But she's not staying here alone." He looked back at Mae. "I'll stay." Ashar's eyes narrowed. "That's not-"
"She's calmer with me," Riven said, serious now. "You know it. Everyone here knows it. We're not asking permission. It's what's happening." Ashar didn't argue. He just stared at Mae for a long, unreadable moment. Then he nodded once. Cold. Distant. "Then she stays. And so do you." Lucien stood. "We'll go early. Be back within a day." Sethis was already checking maps. But no one could ignore the truth buzzing in the walls: Mae wasn't a passenger anymore.
She was the storm no one knew how to sail through. And she had just reminded them all of what it meant to make her feel trapped. The castle courtyard buzzed with low conversation and gear checks as Lucien, Sethis, and Kaine prepared for the supply run. The sky overhead had turned a muted blue-gray, as if even the world was holding its breath. Ashar hadn't spoken much since the argument. He stood near the edge of the steps, watching the others with his usual unreadable stare.
Then, without warning, he turned. "Mae," he said quietly. She looked up. "Walk with me. Just for a minute." She followed without a word, casting one last glance at Riven, who gave a barely-there nod, trusting her, trusting him, even if it made him uncomfortable. Ashar led her around the side of the castle, away from the others. The air was quieter here. The hum of the land still present, but softer, like it was listening.
He stopped beneath a twisted silver arch that hadn't been there days ago, born from her anomaly's reshaping of the realm. He turned to her, the shadows shifting across his face. "I'm sorry," he said simply. Mae blinked. "What?"
"I didn't mean to make you feel like a prisoner. That's not-" His jaw flexed, voice low and rough. "That's not what I wanted." She didn't speak. Just waited. Ashar looked down. "This place is tied to you. Your pulse shapes it. And if something happens to you." He paused. "I want you safe. But I also want them to be safe. You need them if those futures are going to come true."
Mae took a step forward, chest tight. "Ashar-"
"I didn't say that to control you," he said quickly. "I said it because the thought of something happening to you and me not being able to stop it-" Mae reached up, took his face in her hands, and kissed him. Not out of desperation. Not out of impulse. But to quiet the storm inside him. His hands found her waist instantly, gripping, grounding, and he kissed her back like he'd been holding it in for lifetimes.
Then, slowly, he pulled back. "We shouldn't keep doing this," he breathed, forehead resting against hers. "I know," she whispered. "But I don't care. Not right now." They stood there, wrapped in each other's arms, saying nothing for a long time. Just breathing. Just existing in the space where fear met something that felt like hope. Ashar opened his eyes, gazing down at her like she was something sacred and dangerous all at once.
"I meant what I said," he murmured. "You're not alone in this. No matter what happens." Mae nodded, her voice small. "And I meant it too. I understand why you said it. About why you need to keep us apart. But," her hand pressed gently over his heart. "You don't have to carry all of it alone." They stayed that way for another minute, wrapped in silence and silver light. And then they stepped apart. Unwilling, but resolute. By the time they returned to the others, nothing had changed, but everything had.