The forest thickened as they moved north, a deep silence blanketing the path like a shroud. Birds had stopped singing. The very wind seemed to hold its breath.
Evren's eyes swept the trees, his body coiled tight. "We're being followed."
Kaelion didn't flinch. "Four riders. Light-footed. Could be scouts."
"Or mercenaries," Evren muttered. "Or worse someone sent by the council."
Kaelion pulled his horse to a halt, motioning with a sharp, silent gesture. Evren dismounted in perfect sync, both of them fading into the undergrowth without a word. No orders were needed. No plan. Just a shared instinct, and a trust neither would ever admit existed.
The hooves grew louder. Closer.
Then a whistle pierced the air sharp, coded.
Kaelion's hand flew up in a signal. Evren responded instantly, circling wide. When the first rider appeared, Evren tackled him from his mount, his blade at the man's throat before he could blink.
The other three surged forward, but Kaelion was already among them, knocking one unconscious with brutal precision and slashing another's reins to send him sprawling.
It was fast. Violent. Controlled.
When it ended, two men groaned on the forest floor, one had fled, and the fourth lay still.
Evren straightened, blood smearing his cheek, his chest heaving. "Not scouts."
"No," Kaelion said darkly, crouching by one of the fallen men. He tore the insignia from the man's cloak. It was unfamiliar. "Outsiders," he murmured. "But hired locally. Someone knew our route."
Evren's eyes narrowed to slits. "You still think this mission was random?"
Kaelion met his gaze, the truth cold between them. "No. It's a trap."
They stared at each other for a long, silent beat as if every unspoken thing had suddenly become too loud to ignore.
Evren finally looked away, his voice quieter now. "We ride off-course. Through the ravine."
Kaelion gave a single, sharp nod. "Agreed."
Evren turned to go, then paused. "You fight well."
Kaelion looked surprised for a fraction of a second. Then: "You bleed well."
A smirk tugged at Evren's mouth despite himself. "Careful, Kael. You're starting to sound like you enjoy my company."
Kaelion looked back toward the darkened path. "Don't flatter yourself. I just prefer a capable shield."
Evren's laugh was low and short, but it was real.
And then they disappeared into the waiting trees.
The ravine was a narrow, steep scar cutting through the underbelly of the northern range. A cold wind scraped against the stone, carrying whispers from long-forgotten wars.
Evren's horse slipped on loose gravel, and he cursed under his breath. Kaelion reached out, steadying the reins with one gloved hand.
"Don't touch me," Evren snapped, jerking back.
Kaelion didn't answer. He simply moved ahead.
They rode single file, the silence between them as deep as the chasm beside the path. As the sun dipped below the cliffs, shadows grew taller and colder. Every rock felt like a watching eye.
By nightfall, they made camp beneath a crumbling outcrop. The fire Kaelion lit was small barely enough to warm their hands, carefully contained to avoid attracting attention.
Evren sat opposite him, arms crossed, his cloak pulled tight.
"We need to talk about what happened," Kaelion said, his voice low.
Evren raised a brow. "The ambush or your smart-ass attitude?"
Kaelion looked him dead in the eye. "The ambush. You can cry about my attitude later."
Evren rolled his eyes. "Fine. Someone set us up. But why? You don't matter politically anymore, and I've always been a target."
Kaelion's jaw tightened. "Someone knew we'd be together. That narrows the suspects."
Evren leaned back against the cold stone. "You think it's someone inside the palace?"
"I think," Kaelion said slowly, "there are more eyes on us than we ever realized."
Silence stretched between them. The fire popped, throwing a brief, flickering light across Evren's face. For once, he looked tired. Not weak-just… worn thin.
Kaelion watched him for a moment too long.
"What?" Evren snapped, straightening.
Kaelion looked away into the flames. "Nothing."
"No, say it."
"You look different when you're not trying to win an argument."
Evren blinked, momentarily disarmed. "You're not funny."
"I wasn't trying to be."
Another silence, this one softer. Then Evren stood abruptly. "I'm taking first watch."
Kaelion didn't stop him.
But long after Evren stepped into the darkness, Kaelion sat staring at the dying embers his expression unreadable, his thoughts a tangled knot.
Kaelion kept to the edge of the firelight, his royal cloak draped over one shoulder, his eyes scanning the dark trees. He didn't need to keep watch Evren had first shift but Kaelion didn't sleep easily anymore.
Not with him so near, not since the bond.
Evren sat across the fire, sharpening a blade with slow, deliberate strokes. The scrape of metal on stone was the only sound for miles.
"You don't have to watch me like a hawk, Your Highness," Evren muttered without looking up.
"I'm not watching you," Kaelion replied coolly. "I'm watching our perimeter. You are merely in the way."
Evren chuckled darkly. "So royal. Even your insults wear a crown."
Kaelion didn't answer. He didn't need to. The bond buzzed faintly under his skin an invisible thread humming with tension. It didn't just link their magic... it felt.
And that was the problem.
He couldn't stop feeling Evren's frustration. His heat. His anger. And sometimes… his doubt.
But what scared Kaelion more were the flickers of something softer.
Something warmer.
He ruthlessly pushed it down.
"You should sleep," Evren said after a while. "You'll need your strength tomorrow."
"You care now?"
"I don't want you dying before I break this damned bond."
Kaelion's lips twitched almost a smirk. "Touching."
He turned and walked toward the shadows, finally closing his eyes. But even with the stars above and his eyes shut…
He could still feel Evren there.
Too close, too sharp and, too dangerous.
By morning, the storm had passed, but the sky remained a sheet of gray. Kaelion didn't speak as he secured his cloak and mounted the ridge path. Evren followed in silence, the bond between them buzzing like a persistent warning.
Halfway through the climb, Kaelion finally spoke. "You hesitated."
Evren blinked. "When?"
"Last night. During the ambush. You turned to check on me before you struck."
Evren scoffed. "You think I need to explain how I fight now?"
"I think you're letting the bond cloud your judgment." Kaelion turned slightly, just enough to pin Evren with his gaze. His voice was low and sharp. "Don't."
Evren's jaw tightened. "And what about you, Your Highness? You didn't even flinch when that blade nearly took your shoulder."
"I knew you'd block it," Kaelion said, his calm infuriating.
Evren stepped in front of him, forcing him to stop. "Don't rely on me like that."
Kaelion's stare didn't waver. "Too late."
The silence crackled like ice underfoot.
Neither moved.
Finally, Kaelion added, "I didn't choose this bond. But I will not pretend it doesn't exist."
Evren shook his head. "That's the problem. You're already leaning on it."
"I trust my instincts," Kaelion snapped.
"Then learn to fight without needing me."
They stood there, the wind whipping between them like a third, angry voice.
Kaelion didn't reply.
He simply walked past, his spine straight, his crown invisible but unmistakable.
Evren watched him go.
Every time he tried to keep his distance, the prince stepped closer.
And the bond? It pulled tighter.
By midday, they reached a forest veiled in a mist that swallowed sound and light. Evren's grip on his sword tightened instinctively.
Kaelion moved ahead, steady and unfazed. Royal blood did not quiver in the cold.
"You sure this is the way?" Evren asked.
"I memorized these paths when I was ten," Kaelion replied without looking back. "You think I forgot?"
"I think royal tutors don't teach you what it's like to bleed in them."
Kaelion paused just long enough to glance over his shoulder. "That's what I have you for."
Evren stepped beside him, voice low. "Don't mistake me for your guard dog."
"I don't. Dogs are loyal."
The words hit sharper than any sword.
Before Evren could retort, something moved through the fog.
A low, guttural snarl.
Shadows shifted between the trees, silent but circling. Not bandits. Not soldiers.
Wolves. Twisted by corrupted magic larger, gaunt, their eyes glowing with a sickly, unnatural light.
Kaelion and Evren moved as one.
Back-to-back, Steel drawn.
Magic surged under Kaelion's skin, a wild, eager thing, but he gritted his teeth, holding it in. He didn't trust it. Not fully. Not yet.
The first beast lunged.
Evren met it with a clean, brutal slice.
Kaelion ducked under another and drove his dagger into its throat, fast and efficient.
Three more circled, saliva dripping from jaws lined with shadow.
"Don't use your magic unless you want this whole forest to burn," Evren warned through clenched teeth.
"I wasn't planning on it," Kaelion muttered.
But the magic didn't care for his plans.
It pulsed in his chest hungry and impatient.
When the last wolf fell, they stood in silence once more, breath pluming in the cold air, the mist curling around their bodies like phantom hands.
Evren looked over at Kaelion, his expression unreadable. "Still think you don't rely on me?"
Kaelion's eyes didn't soften.
But his voice did. Just barely.
"I think you're the only one who sees what I'm trying not to become."
And then he walked on.
Leaving Evren alone with that confession.
And the bond between them tightening, one inexorable notch more.