Chapter 178- Echoes in the Dark
Lexy
The night after the council, the air in the courtyard felt heavy with expectation. The fires had been quenched, but the echoes of the last battle lingered in the stone walls and in the hearts of everyone who had stood with me. Adrian and Kael were out there—hurt but not broken. And that made them dangerous.
CJ stood across from me, sweat already glistening on his brow as he shifted into a fighting stance. Tarria circled the training ring, her eyes sharp, assessing us both like a hawk. She was younger than either of us, but the intensity in her gaze reminded me of a seasoned general. She had seen too much, carried too much, and yet still gave everything she had to our cause.
“Again,” Tarria commanded.
CJ lunged first. His power surged through the bond we shared, and I felt it as clearly as my own heartbeat. Darkness and steel, anchored in him, flowing toward me like an open hand. I caught it with my flames, weaving his shadow into my fire, turning it into something stronger.
For a moment, we moved as one—our training paying off, our steps precise. Fire and shadow twined, spiraling into a barrier that shimmered like molten obsidian. I could feel the thrum of it in my bones, the harmony of our bond.
But then, just as quickly, it faltered. My breath hitched, the weight of my exhaustion pulling at me. I stumbled, and the flames sputtered before collapsing altogether.
CJ rushed forward, steadying me. “Lexy.” His voice was low, concerned.
“I’m fine,” I lied, pulling away. But I wasn’t. The truth pressed against me harder every day: the triplets. My body was already working harder than I wanted to admit and balancing that with the demands of war was becoming a dangerous equation.
“You can’t push yourself this way,” CJ said, reading me too easily. “Not alone.”
“She’s not alone,” Tarria cut in, stepping into the ring. Her own power stirred around her like wind before a storm, threads of light and shadow flickering in her palms. “That’s the point of this. If you burn out, the bond must hold. All of us. Together.”
Her determination sparked something in me. She wasn’t wrong. Adrian and Kael weren’t going to wait for me to be at my best—they would strike when it suited them, when my guard was lowest. If we weren’t unified, we’d fall.
“Again,” I said, squaring my stance.
This time, I didn’t try to carry the weight myself. I opened to CJ first, then to Tarria. Their energy poured into mine, steady and strong. Darkness, light, flame—three elements colliding, not as chaos but as harmony. I felt my exhaustion, yes, but it no longer threatened to topple me. They held me upright, their strength reinforcing mine.
The barrier rose higher than before, glowing like fire-wrapped stone. Tarria thrust her hand forward, weaving light through it, turning the shield into something alive, pulsing with three heartbeats instead of one.
When we let it drop, the courtyard crackled with energy, the very air humming around us.
Tarria grinned, breathless but triumphant. “That’s what Adrian won’t expect. Not just one power. Not just two. All of us.”
CJ’s arm slipped around my waist, steadying me again. This time, I didn’t pull away. He was right earlier—I couldn’t do this alone.
Before I could respond, the gates slammed open. A scout stumbled inside, his clothes torn, blood streaking his arm. His chest heaved as he fell to one knee before us.
“Your Majesty—Queen Lexy,” he gasped. “We found them. Signs of them. Adrian and Kael.”
The training ground froze. Every sound—every breath—hung suspended.
“Where?” I demanded.
The scout’s eyes darted between us. “In the eastern forest, beyond the river gorge. We were tracking stragglers, thought they were just deserters, but… there were more. Too organized. Supplies, weapons. They’re regrouping there.”
CJ’s jaw tightened, his grip on me firm. “How close did you get?”
“Close enough to hear their voices,” the scout whispered. “Adrian’s… and Kael’s. They’re hurt, but they’re already rallying men.”
A chill slid through me, colder than any shadow. They were already rebuilding. Already plotting. Adrian didn’t waste time, and I should’ve expected nothing less.
“Did they see you?” I asked.
“No, Majesty. We pulled back the moment we realized what we’d found.”
I exhaled slowly, steadying the storm inside me. Rage burned hot in my chest, but so did dread. Adrian was dangerous enough with an army. Wounded and desperate, he would be twice as lethal.
CJ’s eyes met mine, unspoken words passing between us. He wanted to ride out now, crush them before they regained their footing. A part of me wanted the same. But logic, cold and cruel, held me back.
“Not yet,” I said aloud, though it nearly killed me. “We can’t risk charging blind into their camp. We need confirmation. Numbers. Strength. If we walk into another trap, everything we’ve fought for ends here.”
Tarria’s eyes were alight, fierce. “Then let me go with the scouts. I can mask my presence better than most. If Adrian is building his next strike, we need to know when and how.”
CJ frowned instantly. “Too dangerous.”
But Tarria’s gaze locked on mine, unwavering. “You know I’m right, Lexy. If we sit and wait, he’ll pick his battlefield, not us. We need to see it with our own eyes.”
I weighed her words, the heat of CJ’s protest simmering beside me. He wasn’t wrong—sending Tarria was a risk. But so was doing nothing.
Finally, I nodded. “Not alone,” I said. “You’ll take two of our best trackers and one of my sacred warrior. No more. No less. I want eyes on Adrian, not another battle.”
Tarria dipped her head, satisfaction glinting in her eyes.
CJ exhaled, frustrated but silent. He knew as well as I did that we needed her skills.
When the scout was escorted away to tend his wounds, the three of us lingered in the courtyard, the embers of our training still glowing faintly in the air.
“They’re closer than I thought,” I admitted quietly. “Every time I think we’ve pushed them back, they slip just out of reach.”
CJ’s arm tightened around me. “Then we push harder. Train harder. Plan smarter. We’re not losing this war, Lexy—not to Adrian, not to Kael, not to anyone who stands with them.”
Tarria stepped closer, her voice steady. “We’ll face them together. All of us. Whatever shadows Adrian commands, we’ll outshine them.”
Her words settled something inside me. Fear still coiled in my stomach, the reality of my pregnancy was pressing heavy, but I wasn’t alone. I had CJ, my mate, my anchor. I had Tarria, loyal and fierce beyond her years. And I had the alliance, battered but unbroken.
Adrian thought shadows made him invincible. But he forgot one truth: fire thrives in darkness.
And I carried both within me.
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