Kael's POV
My horse screamed.
I yanked the reins hard as shadow creatures erupted from the forest floor. They looked like wolves made of smoke and nightmare. Their red eyes glowed in the darkness. Three of them circled us, growling with voices that sounded like scraping metal.
This was wrong. Shadow creatures never came this close to the Tower of Echoes. The Veil Keepers were supposed to keep them away.
Unless the Veil Keepers weren't doing their job anymore.
I pulled my sword free. The silver blade hummed with the anti-magic runes carved into the metal. My hands shook. They always shook around magic.
"Easy, Storm," I whispered to my horse. He danced nervously beneath me, ears flat against his head.
The largest shadow wolf lunged.
I swung my sword in a wide arc. The blade sliced through the creature's neck. It exploded into black mist with a shriek that made my teeth ache. The other two wolves hesitated.
I didn't give them time to think. I kicked Storm forward and drove my sword through the second wolf's chest. It dissolved. The third one turned and ran back into the forest.
My heart hammered. Sweat dripped down my back despite the cold air.
Five years. I'd been hunting rogue magic users for five years, and I still couldn't stop my hands from shaking. Every time I saw magic, I saw her face. Lira. My little sister. Twelve years old with bright green eyes and a laugh that sounded like bells.
Dead because a rogue mage decided her life didn't matter.
I shook my head hard. Focus. The Council sent me here for a reason.
Reports of dark magic at the Tower. Strange deaths. The Council needed someone who wasn't afraid to investigate magic users. Someone who wouldn't be blinded by loyalty or friendship.
They needed someone who hated magic as much as I did.
I urged Storm forward. Through the trees ahead, I could see the Tower rising into the sky. It looked like a giant stone finger pointing at the clouds. Windows glowed with warm light. It looked peaceful.
But I knew better. Evil always hid behind peaceful faces.
Another mile and I'd be there. Another mile and I'd be surrounded by people who could kill me with a whisper and a hand gesture. My stomach churned.
I trusted my sword. I trusted my training. I didn't trust magic users. Not anymore. Not ever again.
The memory hit me hard like it always did. Lira running through our village square, laughing. Then the rogue mage appeared. Fire exploded from his hands. Lira's screams. The smell of burning—
I dug my nails into my palm until the pain pushed the memory away.
The forest path opened into a clearing. The Tower stood before me, even bigger up close. Guards patrolled the walls. I could feel magic in the air like static electricity before a storm. It made my skin crawl.
I rode up to the main gate. Two guards stepped forward with spears crossed.
"State your business," the first guard said. He was young, maybe twenty. His eyes were hard.
"Kael Thorne. The Council sent me to investigate the deaths."
The guards exchanged looks. The second guard, older with a scar across his cheek, nodded. "We've been expecting you. Master Aldric wants to see you immediately."
They opened the gate. I rode through, every muscle in my body tense. Magic users walked across the courtyard. Some were young, barely teenagers. Others were older. They all stared at me as I passed.
I was an outsider here. A hunter. Someone who killed people like them when they went rogue.
Good. Let them be afraid. Fear kept people honest.
A stable boy took Storm's reins. I grabbed my pack and followed the scarred guard into the Tower. The walls seemed to press in on me. Every shadow looked wrong. The air felt thick with magic.
My hands wouldn't stop shaking.
We climbed stairs and walked down long hallways. Finally, we stopped at a heavy wooden door. The guard knocked twice.
"Enter," a voice called from inside.
I stepped into a round office. Behind a large desk sat an old man with a gray beard and cold blue eyes.
Master Aldric. The man in charge of this place.
"Mr. Thorne," he said. "Thank you for coming."
I didn't sit. Didn't smile. "Tell me about the deaths."
He looked surprised by my bluntness. "Direct. I appreciate that." He pulled out papers. "Three Veil Keepers dead in the past month. All drained of magic. All young students."
"Who's the suspect?"
"A girl named Sera. Eighteen years old. She was near each death scene."
"Where is she now?"
"Locked in her quarters. Two guards posted outside."
Something about his tone made me pause. "You don't think she did it."
Master Aldric's jaw tightened. "I've known Sera since she was six years old. She's not a killer."
"Then why lock her up?"
"Because evidence doesn't care about feelings, Mr. Thorne. And right now, all evidence points to her."
I respected that. Cold logic. Facts over feelings. That's how you found the truth.
"I want to see her," I said.
"Not yet. First, I need to show you something."
He led me to a window. We looked down at the courtyard below. Students walked between buildings. Normal. Peaceful.
Then I saw her.
A girl stood alone near a fountain. She had brown hair pulled back. She looked thin, tired. She was trying to make magic appear in her hand, but it kept sparking and dying.
"That's Sera," Master Aldric said quietly.
I watched her. She looked frustrated. Scared. She glanced around like she was worried someone would see her fail.
She didn't look like a killer. She looked like someone who was lost.
Then her magic sparked again, and for just a second, I saw it turn black.
My blood went cold. "Did you see that?"
"See what?"
"Her magic. It turned black."
Master Aldric's face went pale. "That's impossible. That would mean—"
An explosion shook the Tower.
We both stumbled. Books fell from shelves. The window cracked.
"What was that?" I shouted.
Master Aldric ran for the door. I followed. We raced down stairs. Guards were running everywhere, shouting.
"Another death!" someone yelled. "In the east wing!"
We ran faster. My heart pounded. We burst through a door into a hallway.
A body lay on the floor. A young man, eyes wide and empty. His skin looked gray. Dead.
Just like the others.
"Lucas," Master Aldric whispered. He knelt beside the body. "No. Not Lucas."
I scanned the hallway. Looking for clues. For evidence. For—
"Sir!" A guard ran up to us. "We found something in the girl's room. Sera's room."
He held up a silver pendant. It was covered in blood.
"This belonged to Lucas," the guard said. "We found it under her bed."
Master Aldric stood slowly. His face looked like stone. "Bring her to me. Now."
The guards left. Master Aldric turned to me. "I was wrong. The evidence is clear. Sera killed them all."
But something felt off. Too convenient. Too easy.
"Let me question her first," I said. "Before you decide anything."
He nodded. "Fine. But make it quick."
We walked to Sera's room. Two guards stood outside her door. They looked nervous.
"Open it," Master Aldric ordered.
The guard unlocked the door and pushed it open.
The room was empty.
"What?" Master Aldric pushed past the guards. "Where is she?"
"She was here five minutes ago!" one guard said. "I swear!"
Then I saw it. The window was open. A rope made of torn bedsheets hung down the side of the Tower.
"She escaped," I said.
"Find her!" Master Aldric roared. "Search every inch of this Tower! She can't have gone far!"
Guards scattered. Alarms rang through the building.
I looked out the window. The rope swayed in the wind. Below, the forest stretched dark and endless.
If I was a scared girl accused of murder, where would I go?
I'd run. I'd run as far and fast as I could.
My instincts screamed at me. Something was wrong with this whole situation. The convenient evidence. The perfect timing. It felt like a trap.
But for who? Sera? Or everyone else?
I turned to Master Aldric. "I'm going after her."
"Why? Let the guards handle it."
"Because if she's guilty, I'll bring her back. And if she's innocent..." I grabbed my sword. "Then someone in this Tower is setting her up. And they're still here."
Master Aldric's eyes widened. He hadn't thought of that.
I didn't wait for permission. I ran down the stairs, out of the Tower, and into the courtyard. I could see fresh footprints in the mud leading toward the forest.
Small footprints. Running.
I followed them into the trees. The darkness swallowed me whole. Branches grabbed at my clothes. My breath came hard and fast.
Then I heard it. A girl's scream. Desperate. Terrified.
I ran toward the sound, sword drawn.
I burst into a clearing and froze.
Sera stood in the middle, surrounded by five Tower guards. They had weapons pointed at her. She held up her hands, pleading.
"Please! I didn't do it! You have to believe me!"
"Surrender now!" a guard shouted.
"I can't go back! They'll kill me!"
The guard raised his sword. "Last chance!"
I should have stayed hidden. Should have watched. Should have let this play out.
But something in her voice reminded me of Lira. That same desperate fear right before—
"Wait!" I stepped into the clearing.
Everyone turned to look at me. The guards. Sera.
Our eyes met.
Hers were brown and terrified. She looked at me like I was her last hope.
Or her worst nightmare.