The palace felt different after Lila met Ashkar, the Fire King. Every breath of wind carried a trace of heat, like the world itself had acknowledged the bond she now shared with Flame. The mark on her palm still glowed faintly beneath her skin, a living ember that pulsed when she thought of Cassian or danger.
And there was danger. She could feel it in the way Isolde's footsteps had quickened and in the way the guards glanced over their shoulders too often. Whispers stirred among the nobles. Something was coming.
But Lila's focus was on Cassian.
She found him in the garden that morning, standing alone beneath the arbor. He moved slowly, one hand trailing along the carved wood as he walked. His eyes were still sightless, but his steps were sure. He was learning to live in the dark.
"You're outside," Lila said, stepping beside him.
"I needed to breathe something other than stone," he replied. "Isolde's finally stopped hovering."
"She worries about you."
"She worries about what I represent," he corrected. "If I die, the Drakaris line dies with me. The kingdom fractures."
"Then you can't die," Lila said simply.
He turned toward her voice. "That confident in your magic already?"
"No," she admitted, "but I have fire now. And I have you."
Cassian hesitated, then let out a short breath that might have been a laugh. "You talk like a knight."
"I feel more like a squire," she muttered.
They walked in silence for a while, and Lila couldn't help noticing how the garden seemed to react to him. Flowers opened slightly as he passed, and vines untangled themselves along the trellises. It was subtle but unmistakable.
"You're connected to this place," she said. "Even with the curse."
"I was born here," he said softly. "My mother used to say the blood of fire runs through the roots of this land. Maybe it still remembers me."
Lila felt the heat rise again in her palm, the mark from Ashkar pulsing in quiet agreement.
Suddenly, Cassian stopped. "Someone's watching."
"What?" Lila spun around, eyes scanning the hedges.
A rustle of movement to the left.
Before she could react, a dagger flew toward her face, so fast she didn't have time to think.
Instinct took over.
Her hand flared with fire. A sheet of flame burst forth, intercepting the blade midair and sending it spinning into the grass, blackened and hissing.
Lila stood frozen, heart hammering.
Cassian turned sharply. "More are coming."
From the shadows emerged three cloaked figures, their faces hidden beneath black veils. They moved silently, blades gleaming. Assassins.
Lila stepped in front of Cassian, her firemark burning now like a live coal. "Get back," she said.
One of the assassins lunged.
She raised her palm, and fire exploded from it in a ring, forcing them to halt. The flame didn't burn the plants or Cassian, only the path between them and the attackers. Controlled. Precise.
One assassin snarled and lunged again, slipping beneath the flames.
Lila barely dodged the strike. The blade grazed her shoulder, tearing through her sleeve. Pain lanced down her arm.
Before she could retaliate, Cassian moved.
Blind though he was, he stepped forward with surprising speed. His hand shot out, grabbed the attacker's wrist, and twisted. The blade fell. Cassian drove his knee into the figure's chest, sending them sprawling.
"Second one—right!" he called.
Lila turned just in time to raise another burst of flame, forcing the other two to retreat. One fled into the bushes; the other turned and vanished with a hiss of smoke.
It was over in seconds.
Breathing hard, Lila dropped to her knees beside Cassian. "You're hurt."
"I'm fine," he said, though a thin trail of blood ran from a cut on his cheek.
"You can't see. How did you—?"
"I could hear their steps. And feel your fire."
Lila stared at him, stunned. "You used my flame to find them?"
Cassian gave her a small, grim smile. "I told you. Instinct."
Isolde arrived seconds later, followed by guards. She took one look at the scorched path and fallen assassin, then narrowed her eyes. "It's starting."
"What is?" Lila asked.
"The power struggle," Isolde said. "The factions that stood against Elira—they're testing you now. You just became a threat."
That evening, Lila sat alone in her room, her shoulder bandaged and the firemark still tingling. She stared at her hands, remembering the way the flames had answered her—not wild or uncontrolled, but protective. Personal.
A soft knock interrupted her thoughts.
Cassian stepped into the room, guided by a guard who waited quietly outside. He walked slowly, his movements deliberate.
"I wanted to thank you," he said. "For the garden. For saving me."
"You saved me," Lila said. "And I got us both nearly killed."
"Then we're even."
They stood in silence for a beat. Then Cassian stepped closer. "When you used your power... it didn't feel like Elira's. Hers was sharp. Cold. Yours is warmer. Wilder."
"I'm not her," Lila said. "But I'm starting to think that might be a good thing."
Cassian's expression shifted. "If we're going to survive this, we need to know who sent those assassins."
"I agree," she said. "And I'm going to find them."
His head tilted toward her. "You're serious."
"I'm not just here to be some puppet heir," Lila said. "I'm here to fight."
Cassian nodded slowly. "Then I'll fight with you. Blind or not."
She looked at him, something tightening in her chest. There was a bond forming between them, fragile but real. Fire and ash. Light and shadow.
Together, they just might survive.
End of Chapter 5