Page 14 of Condemned to Love

With my thirst sated, I return to the base. The need to speak with Raziel burns within me, so I seek out a scout I know from my years in the tunnels.

"Where's Raziel?" I ask him, my voice low but urgent.

The scout nods toward the back of the base. "He's in the library." He tells me how to navigate back there and I clap him on the back in thanks.

I make my way there, finding Raziel amidst shelves of ancient tomes and scrolls. He's poring over a thick volume, his brow furrowed in concentration. When he notices me, he closes the book and looks up.

"Aldric," he greets me with a nod. "What brings you here?"

"We need to talk," I say bluntly.

Raziel gestures for me to sit, but I remain standing, too restless to settle.

"We need new training rotations," Raziel begins without preamble. "Everyone needs to be prepared, and we can't rely on old routines."

I scoff. "No one will even show up."

Raziel's gaze is steady, unyielding. "Patience," he advises. "We must see potential allies everywhere, even among humans."

"Humans?" I nearly laugh at the absurdity. "They are fragile."

"And yet they survive," Raziel counters calmly. "Selene is proof of that."

I grit my teeth, struggling with my frustration. "You expect them to fight like us? They can't."

"They don't have to fight like us," Raziel says evenly. "They need to fight alongside us."

His words linger in the air between us, a challenge and a promise all at once.

"I'll consider it," I finally say.

"Good," Raziel replies, his eyes piercing through me as if searching for something deeper.

The thought of relying on humans, those fragile creatures, feels like a desperate grasp at straws. Yet, some have proven herself valuable.

The thought pushes my mind to Elowen—fierce, determined, and so very human.

Her image lingers in my mind, her fiery hair and intense green eyes challenging me even now. She’s different from the others. There's a fire in her that I can’t ignore, but it makes me uneasy. I don’t want her thrown into the fray, but why? Why does the thought of her in danger twist my insides?

Raziel watches me silently, his calm demeanor a stark contrast to the storm raging inside me.

“We can set up new rotations tonight,” I mutter again, knowing that most vrakken come out at night despite the sun glamour protecting the base. "I can take care of the training schedule. I'll even include a section for the humans."

“Good,” Raziel says, standing up from his chair. “Now let me show you around the base. Get you settled into a room.”

I nod, following him out of the library. As we walk through the winding tunnels, I can’t help but notice the subtle changes since I was last here. The walls seem to pulse with a faint magical energy, veins of raw magic glittering in the stone.

“We’ve made some improvements,” Raziel comments as if reading my thoughts. “The wildsponts are more active here than ever.”

I grunt in acknowledgment, my mind still preoccupied with thoughts of Elowen and our uncertain future.

Raziel leads me through various chambers—the armory stocked with weapons and armor, training rooms where a few dedicated vrakken hone their skills despite the apathy of others, and finally to a quiet corridor lined with individual rooms.

“This will be yours,” Raziel says, opening a door to a small but comfortable room. “It’s not much, but it’s private.”

I step inside, taking in the simplicity of the space—a bed, a table, and a single chair. It feels like a world away from the chaos above ground.

“Thank you,” I say, turning to face Raziel.

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