Page 61 of Bound in Flames

“Cleo?”

The sound of my name stopped me in my tracks. I turned to find Seer Arna standing in the dim corridor, her keen eyes assessing me with a quiet, knowing gaze.

“Come, we must speak.”

I fell into step behind her, trailing down the winding corridor that led away from the bustling heart of the stronghold. The quiet hum of activity faded behind us, replaced by the soft echo of our footsteps. The air grew colder as we ascended a narrow staircase and entered a small chamber tucked away from the main halls, the flickering torchlight casting eerie shadows across shelves lined with jars and bundles of dried herbs, the musty scent of old parchment flooding my nose. Arna stopped just inside the doorway, her sharp eyes scanned me with an intensity that made my skin prickle. "You’ve done well here," she said softly, her voice carrying the weight of years and wisdom. "The orcs see you as one of us. You’ve earned your place with us.”

A weak smile tugged at my lips. "That’s kind of you to say. Thank you."

She studied me for some time before continuing, her expression unreadable. "You’re doing more than trying. You are becoming. I know what you saw, child."

"You know?"

She nodded slowly, her gaze softening. "The flames speak to those who listen. They show us what we need to see. I understand the burden you carry."

I swallowed against the rising knot in my chest. "It doesn’t make sense. The darkness, the magic... what it’s asking of me. I don’t know what it wants." I admitted, my voice trembling.

Arna’s lips curled into a faint smile as she stepped closer to take my hand. "It’s asking you to choose, Cleo. It always has."

A frown tugged at my brows, confusion twisting in my gut. "Choose? What kind of choices are these!”

Her eyes glowed with something ancient and powerful, the air crackling with energy. "Your vision showed you two paths. One where you stand alone, bearing the cost of our survival. And another where you stand with the clan, destined to die as one of us.”

“Was this was always my fate?"

The Seer's soft nod was like an arrow through my chest.

"Did Dex... did he know?" I asked, but deep down I already knew the answer.

Arna’s expression shifted, a shadow of regret visible across her face as she inclined her head. "Yes. The earth has a funny way of complicating matters. The earth gave us you, but they also gave him a mate. His choice is not unlike yours—to choose between duty and love."

He had known all this time that I was to die for his people, and he saidnothing.

"Before you judge him too harshly," Arna added, her voice gentle, "know that he has been scouring every piece of our history, every scrap of knowledge on the prophecy that he could find, looking for more answers, another way.”

I swallowed thickly as the bitter taste of betrayal mingled with my rising fear. "He didn’t find anything, did he?”

"No, he didn’t. But that is not his thread of fate to control." There was a spark of something—mischief, maybe—in her eyes that caught me off guard as I looked at her, "That’s the tricky part of fate, isn’t it? The prophecy did not speak of you beingmate bound to the Chieftain; that was fate. Fate bound you to the clan and you became one of us. Humans were not meant to wield the power of the earth, but you are not just a human, you are part of the Blackfoot Clan. Your blood oath binds you to us."

“So everyone knew?" Her nod drove the betrayal deeper. The new family and friends I thought I had found…did they not even have enough respect for me to tell me I was to die?

"How does that change my visions?"

Arna chuckled softly and reached out to pat my shoulder. "You’re looking for answers in the wrong places, child. Sometimes, the best choice isn’t about right or wrong; it’s about what feels true to who you are. When you feel yourself losing control, call on your bond with Dex. He will ground you."

I bit my lip, the vulnerability I had fought so hard to keep at bay spilling over. "And if it doesn’t?"

Arna’s understanding smile at my turbulent emotions was validating.

"Failure is only an option if you let it be. Don’t be too hard on him. He’s been at war with himself over how to tell you." Her voice softened further. "He didn’t want to heed my advice and tell you when you first arrived. He was so sure he could change the prophecy, and you didn’t want to risk chasing you away.”

I stumbled through the corridors,my pulse a deafening drumbeat, my ears ringing. The distant murmur of the stronghold faded beneath the echo of Arna’s words, twisting and turning through my mind like barbed wire. Doubt clawed inside my ribs, each inhale sharp and ragged, as if I were suffocating under the weight of it all. By the time I reached the Chieftain’s chambers, my legs threatened to give out, tremblingunder the pressure of my spiraling thoughts. I slammed the door shut and pressed my back against the solid oak, and I slid down to the floor. A gasping sob shattering the heavy silence. Emotions crashed in relentless waves—anger sharp enough to slice through my thoughts, sorrow so heavy it felt crushing, dragging me down, and confusion that wrapped around my throat, choking off my cries. The ache in my chest was a hollow pressure that swelled with each frantic heartbeat, each shallow breath. Panic coiled at the edges of my vision, black spots blooming and receding like a tide threatening to pull me under. I forced in a ragged breath, grasping for control, for something solid amidst the storm.

"Five things you can see..." I whispered, my voice trembling. My eyes darted frantically around the room. The flickering firelight casting restless shadows across the walls. Dex’s discarded armor, haphazardly tossed on the table. The thick furs draped messily across the bed. My hands, trembling in my lap. The pitted stone under me.

Four things you can touch.The cool wood of the door behind me. The soft, familiar fabric of my tunic. The scuffed leather of my boots. The warmth of my skin, pulsing beneath my fingertips.

My breathing slowed as I wrestled control back, but the storm inside didn’t subside. Doubt seeped through the cracks of my armor, sinking its claws deeper into my chest. Had Dex been weaving a careful web around me from the very beginning? The thought struck like a physical blow, sending a fresh wave of nausea rolling through me. The way he had found me, how effortlessly he had slipped into my life, offering his protection, his strength... it all felt too perfect now, too deliberate. How foolish I had been, handing him my trust, and my heart, so freely. The ache inside deepened as doubt slithered through my veins like poison, corrupting happy memories of my mate.

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