The first wanted poster appeared at dawn.
Elira saw it nailed to the blackened husk of a shrine, its edges fluttering in the wind like a trapped bird. The artist had been generous—her lips too full, her eyes too bright, the cascade of her hair too elegant for a woman who had spent the night sleeping in ditches and drinking from muddy streams. But the words beneath the portrait burned clearer than any flame:
***"ELIRA of ASHEN BLOOD.***
***TRAITOR. WITCH. FUGITIVE.***
***10,000 GOLD MARKS FOR HER CAPTURE—ALIVE."***
Alive. That was the worst part. The Obsidian King didn't just want her dead. He wanted her **broken**.
She tore the poster down, crumpling it in her fist. A spark leapt from her fingers, reducing the parchment to ash in seconds.
**"That's a bad habit,"** a voice drawled behind her.
Elira whirled, fire already pooling in her palms—but the stranger didn't flinch. He leaned against a crumbling pillar, arms crossed, his silver eyes glinting like knives in the morning light. He wore no armor, no sigil, just a travel-stained cloak and a smirk that made her want to scorch it off his face.
**"You're either very brave or very stupid,"** she hissed.
**"Both, usually."** He pushed off the pillar, stepping closer. **"But right now, I'm the only person in this kingdom who doesn't want to chain you to a throne—or a pyre."**
Elira's flames didn't waver. **"Who are you?"**
**"Kaelan."** He gave a mock bow. **"Prince of nothing, heir to ashes, and your best chance at staying alive."**
She nearly laughed. **"A *prince*?"**
**"A fugitive, like you."** His smirk faded. **"The Obsidian King took my throne years ago. Now I take from him—information, weapons, *witches* with bad tempers..."**
A horn blast cut through the air. Distant, but closing in.
Kaelan's head snapped up. **"Inquisitors. They're sweeping the town."** He held out a hand. **"Come with me or burn alone, Ashen Girl. Choose."**
Elira looked at his outstretched hand. At the ash drifting between them. At the smoke already rising on the horizon.
She took it.
### **Next Chapter Teaser:**
- **The Safehouse** – A hidden den of rebels, where not everyone trusts a fire-wielder.