The Wisteria Accond

Chapter Eleven

I'm running late again. I always think I have more time than I do, so I'm rushing around my small room, searching for my clean uniform. My fingers are stiff as I button up the shirt, the fabric still a bit damp from the morning wash. I grab my belt and strap it around my waist, adjusting the fit. My side twinges in protest as I cinch it tight, the wound from the last encounter with the Nightborne still tender.

The room is dim, lit only by the pale morning light filtering through the narrow window. I twist my hair up into a quick, tight knot at the back of my head, feeling the strands slip through my fingers. Just as I'm fumbling to pin it in place, there's a knock on the door.

"Kiera, you ready?" Soren's voice comes through, a low rumble that sounds tired. I don't have time to answer before the door creaks open, and he steps inside, closing it behind him with a soft thud.

"Almost," I mutter, turning my back to him as I struggle with my hair. I don't need to see him to know he's watching me—his presence fills the small space, a quiet intensity that never quite seems to leave him.

"Kiera." His voice is softer this time, and I can feel him moving closer. I'm not exactly in the mood for one of his lectures this morning. I focus on securing the last pin, pretending I don't notice his approach.

"Still getting ready for work," I say lightly, a half-hearted attempt at brushing him off. "Shouldn't you be doing the same?"

But Soren doesn't answer right away. Instead, he steps right up beside me, his eyes catching on something. I follow his gaze to my side, where my shirt has pulled up slightly, revealing the scar just above my hip. The skin is still a bit raw, an angry line of pink and white against my darker complexion.

His brows knit together. "Does it still hurt?" he asks, his voice unusually gentle, like he's afraid of what the answer might be.

"Not really," I say, tugging my shirt back down to cover it. "Just a bit stiff, that's all. The healers said it would be like that for a while."

"Doesn't mean you should push it," he mutters, his frown deepening. "We've been through a lot lately. More than enough for anyone."

"I'm fine," I say, turning to face him. His proximity is almost stifling, the concern in his eyes a weight I don't have the energy to carry today. "It's just a scratch."

For a moment, there's a silence between us. He studies me like he's searching for something, and I can almost see the wheels turning in his mind. Soren has always been protective—too much so, sometimes—but I know it comes from a good place. It always has.

"Look, Kiera..." he starts, but there's a hesitation in his voice that I don't like. "I've been thinking about what happened. With the Nightborne. That huge one we saw out there—it wasn't like the others. Not at all."

I swallow, nodding. "Yeah, I noticed."

"There's something off about it," he continues, and now there's an edge to his tone, a sharpness that puts me on guard. "And I've been wondering... What if this is all part of some kind of trap? What if Ashen is leading us into something?"

My heart stutters for a moment, but I keep my face neutral. "You think Ashen has something to do with it?"

"I don't know," Soren admits, his gaze darkening. "But I don't trust him anymore. Not after that. The timing, the way it happened... it feels too convenient."

I force myself to keep my expression steady, my eyes meeting his. "We don't know enough to make that call," I say carefully. "Jumping to conclusions won't help us right now."

He leans in slightly, his voice dropping to a low murmur. "I'm not jumping to conclusions, Kiera. I'm being cautious. You should be too."

I nod, but inside, my thoughts are spinning. I want to defend Ashen, to tell Soren he's wrong. But I know I can't. Not without revealing that I've been meeting Ashen in secret, that I've seen sides of him Soren couldn't imagine. Sides that are more human than anything else.

So I do the only thing I can—I stay silent. Let Soren fill the gaps with his own fears and suspicions. Because right now, I'm not sure what the truth even is.

He takes my silence as agreement, his jaw relaxing just slightly. "Just promise me you'll be careful," he says, his eyes searching mine. "I don't want you caught up in something dangerous because of him."

"I'm always careful," I reply, my voice firmer than I feel. "You know that."

He studies me for another second before he nods. "All right. Just... stay sharp out there. And don't take any unnecessary risks."

I give him a small smile, one I don't quite feel. "Same goes for you, Soren."

He reaches out, his hand squeezing my shoulder briefly before he turns to leave. "See you out there," he says over his shoulder, and then he's gone, the door clicking shut behind him.

I release a breath I didn't know I was holding, my shoulders slumping as soon as he's out of sight. I stare at the door for a moment, my mind churning with his words. He's not wrong to be cautious. The appearance of that massive Nightborne—the one with eyes that seemed to burn with a different kind of fury—had thrown us all off balance. It had been unlike anything we'd ever seen.

But I've seen Ashen, too. The way his eyes shift like a storm in motion, reflecting something more than just blind hunger. And I know, deep down, that whatever's happening, he's not the enemy. At least, not in the way we've been taught to believe.

I finish getting dressed, my movements slower now, more deliberate. I can't afford to let Soren's doubts become mine. I have to find my own answers, follow my own path through this mess of shadows and secrets.

Trust your instincts, I tell myself. But never forget—everyone has secrets. Even you.

I step out into the bustling main yard, the morning sun hanging low and golden in the sky. The outpost is already alive with activity—soldiers moving in formation, vendors setting up their stalls, the clang of metal on metal as weapons are forged and repaired. Life within the walls carries on, as it always does, even with the threat looming just beyond.

I spot Clara across the way, chatting with a group of newer recruits. She waves me over when she sees me, her smile wide despite the fatigue still lingering in her eyes.

"There you are," she says. "Thought you were going to sleep through the morning drills."

"Never," I reply with a smirk. "Unlike some people, I don't need beauty sleep."

Clara chuckles, and for a moment, the tension in my chest eases. It's good to have these moments—to remember that there's more to life than just the fight. But beneath the surface, my mind is still spinning, still churning with everything Soren said. And with everything he doesn't know.

The morning passes in a blur of training and preparation, my body moving on autopilot even as my thoughts stay tangled. I keep one ear open for any rumors about the Nightborne, for anything that might give us a clue about what's coming next. But the day is quiet, and that quiet feels almost ominous. Like the calm before a storm.

As the sun climbs higher, I find myself staring out at the distant horizon, at the jagged line where the walls end and the wilderness begins. Out there, somewhere, is Ashen. And with him, maybe the answers we need.

But finding them means walking a dangerous line, one that could easily turn on me if I'm not careful. And I have a feeling that line is only getting thinner.

For now, all I can do is wait. And hope that when the time comes to choose, I'll know what's right.