Chapter 163: in flames

Chapter 163: Chapter 163: in flames

Amy and Caleb were already on their way back to the meadow, riding on the great bear’s back. The creature moved swiftly through the trees, its heavy paws barely slowing as it navigated the terrain.

Amy sat in front, holding a small bundle of bright yellow fruit against her stomach. Every so often, she glanced over her shoulder at Caleb.

He had barely spoken since they left the place where she had undergone her trial. His face was still unusually pale, and the crease between his brows hadn’t disappeared once. Even when he took another bite of the fruit in his hand, his expression remained troubled.

Amy watched him for another moment before giving in to her curiosity.

"What happened while I was gone?"

Caleb didn’t look at her. He bit into the fruit, and juice trickled over his fingers. He wiped his hand against his trousers before taking another bite.

"Nothing you need to worry about."

Amy turned around as much as she could without losing her balance. "That’s a very suspicious answer."

"It’s the only one you’re getting."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Does this have something to do with Amelia?"

Caleb’s chewing slowed.

Amy caught the slight change in his expression and immediately knew she’d guessed correctly. She’d seen the way he’d looked at Amelia when the group returned from the forest.

There had been something strange in his eyes, something that made even the usually composed Caleb look as though he’d seen a ghost.

"I knew it," she muttered.

"You didn’t know anything. You guessed."

"Because you practically announced it with your face." Amy shifted to look at him properly. "What happened between you two?"

"It’s not something I can tell you."

Her eyebrows rose. "You can’t tell me, or you don’t want to?"

"Does it matter?"

"All right," she said after a moment. "I won’t ask you to tell me what happened if you don’t want to. But at least tell me how bad it is."

Caleb stared ahead through the trees.

For several seconds, she thought he might answer. His jaw worked as though he were weighing his words, and his fingers tightened around the half-eaten fruit.

Then he said nothing.

Amy studied his profile, her earlier curiosity giving way to unease. Whatever had happened, it had clearly affected him more than he wanted her to know.

She turned forward again.

"Fine. Keep your secrets." She adjusted the bundle of fruit in her arms.

When they reached the others, the bear slowed and lowered itself to the ground. Amy climbed down first, followed by Caleb, who stretched his legs before looking toward the group.

"We brought more fruit!" Amy announced, lifting the small bundle in her arms. "The same yellow ones from before. They’re juicy, but they don’t fall apart when you bite into them."

She walked over and began handing out the fruit. But as she approached, she noticed something was wrong.

Amelia was asleep against Enzo’s chest, her face turned toward him and her body curled comfortably into his side.

Enzo glanced up when Amy approached, but his expression remained unusually grave.they all looked the same.

Amy’s gaze moved between them.

"What happened here?"

"Nothing you need to worry about," Reid replied.

She stared at him. "Oh, good. Caleb said exactly the same thing. It’s reassuring to know you all learned how to be equally unhelpful."

She glanced at Amelia. "Is she all right?"

"She needs to rest." Enzo replied.

Caleb chose a spot a short distance away from the brothers. He sat down, rested his elbows on his knees, and continued eating as though the conversation had nothing to do with him.

Reid watched him for a while before finally speaking.

"What you told Amelia... was it true?"

Caleb stopped chewing.

His eyes lifted to meet Reid’s. The question seemed simple enough, but the tension in Reid’s face made it clear that he already knew the answer he feared.

Caleb swallowed before replying. "Do I look like I’m making things up?"

Enzo’s expression remained controlled, but his arm had tightened around Amelia. Even in her sleep, she seemed to sense the movement, shifting slightly against his chest. He immediately relaxed his hold and waited until she settled again.

"We’re not interested in arguing with you. We need to know whether what Amelia told us is the truth."

held his gaze for a few seconds.

"Yes," he said at last. "It’s true. I saw what I saw."

He wanted to believe there had been a mistake, that Caleb had misunderstood the vision, or that Amelia was simply frightened by something that could still be prevented.

Amy sat very still. She looked from Caleb to the brothers, then toward Amelia, who remained asleep against Enzo.

"What truth?" she asked cautiously.

Nobody answered.

Enzo reached for one of the yellow fruits and took a bite, though he seemed to have little appetite. After a moment, he looked at Caleb again.

"When we return to the territory, what are you going to do?"

Caleb wiped the juice from his fingers with the back of his hand.

"Report what I know. Most of it, anyway."

Enzo’s eyes narrowed slightly. "Most of it?"

"I’m not going to tell them everything I learned here. Some things are better kept to myself." Caleb’s gaze moved briefly toward the sleeping woman. "But I have a responsibility to my home and my peoplet."

He paused, looking down at the fruit in his hand.

"My people are innocent in this. Whatever is happening, they shouldn’t have to pay for the decisions of the people pulling the strings."

The conversation ended there.

Amy remained quiet, her thoughts turning over the little pieces of the conversation she’d managed to gather.

whatever had happened while she’d been away, it was far more serious than any of them were willing to explain.

***

More than an hour passed before a sudden rush of wind swept across the meadow.

At first, it sounded like distant thunder, a deep, rushing noise that seemed to come from above. Loose leaves skittered across the grass, and the branches at the edge of the forest began to sway.

Dean lifted his head.

"What is that?"

A shadow moved across the meadow, passing over the grass and the trees. Everyone looked up.

Something enormous was descending from the sky.

Its silhouette grew larger with every passing second, its wings beating with a force that sent another gust of wind rushing over them.

Amy scrambled to her feet. Caleb rose beside her.

"What the hell is that?" Amy breathed.

"Relax," Enzo said, getting to his feet while carefully keeping Amelia in his arms. "That’s Amelia’s divine beast."

Caleb stared upward, his brows drawing together.

"Her divine beast?" He looked from Enzo to the approaching creature. "That thing isn’t Swifty. Her bird isn’t that big."

Reid glanced at him, one corner of his mouth lifting.

"Did you honestly think you’d already seen its real size?"

Caleb opened his mouth, then looked back at the sky.

The silver bird swept down toward the meadow.

The force of its wings sent grass flattening beneath them and leaves spinning through the air. Amy raised an arm to shield her face as the creature descended, its enormous wings spreading wide before its talons touched the ground.

Swifty towered over them. Its wings were vast, and its sharp eyes swept across the meadow with an intelligence that made Amy suddenly conscious of just how small she was standing beside it.

She slowly lowered her arm.

"That’s..." She swallowed, still staring. "That’s Amelia’s bird?"

She remembered her fight with Amelia, how swifty had helped her.

"If Amelia had used Swifty’s real size against me during our fight," she murmured, "I wouldn’t have stood a chance."

Enzo shifted Amelia more securely in his arms and looked toward the others.

"It’s time to leave."

They gathered their belongings and moved toward Swifty, making sure their bags were secured before approaching the enormous bird.

The great white wolf remained a few paces away from them.

It watched quietly as they prepared to go, its eyes following Amelia with a stillness that made Dean pause. He turned toward the creature and walked over, stopping beside its massive shoulder.

He simply rested his hand against its thick fur.

"Thank you," he said quietly. "For keeping her company all this while."

The wolf lowered its head slightly.

Dean reached into the bag beside him and took out one of the yellow fruits. He held it out in his palm, and the wolf sniffed it before carefully taking the offering.

"Take care of yourself," Dean added, rubbing the side of its neck once before stepping back.

The wolf let out a low, resonant sound.

He returned to the others, and the wolf moved back to give them room.

Swifty watched until everyone was ready. Then the great bird slowly closed its eyes.

A soft glow appeared along its silver feathers, beginning near its chest before spreading outward through its wings. The light grew brighter with every passing second, illuminating the grass beneath its talons.

When the light finally receded, a portal stood open before them, its surface shimmering with a strange, shifting glow.

Enzo stepped through first, still carrying Amelia against his chest. Dean and Reid followed, their divine beasts close behind them, the bags secured across the animals’ backs.

Amy with her bear and Caleb followed through the portal.

Then their feet touched familiar ground. They had returned to the forbidden forest.

Amy drew a breath, expecting the cool forest air and the familiar rustle of leaves.

Instead, smoke filled her lungs.

She coughed, bringing a hand to her mouth as she looked around. Flames roared between the trees, devouring branches and sending showers of sparks into the air. Thick black smoke rolled overhead, obscuring the sky and turning the daylight an ugly, flickering orange.