Chapter 16

The morning light blinds me the moment my eyes slip open. I shift drowsily to the side. “Awake?”

Dylan is looking at me, and I realize that I’m still lying on his chest. I quickly sit up, brushing off my clothes self consciously. For the first time, I notice that he looks exhausted. His hands are still covered in ash from the fire, and he has dark circles around his eyes. I slowly take off his jacket and hand it to him. “Did you sleep at all?” I ask. He stretches stiffly, like he’s trying to hide how tired he is. “Enough,” he mutters.

“That’s not an option,” I push.

“You’re the one who inhaled gallons of smoke,” he snorts. I can’t help looking away and suppressing a laugh.

“You still need your beauty rest,” I point out, my voice carrying a tone of amusement.

“I’ll add beauty rest to my bucket list then,” he jokes dryly. I look up at the sun traveling higher in the sky. “I better get back. Axel will kill me.”

Dylan nods heavily, and slowly stands up. “I’ll walk with you to your camp.”

“No, you need to rest,” I argue.

A faint smirk crosses his face. “So you do want me alive. How interesting.”

I slap him in the arm. “No, but you’re more useful alive,” I grumble.

“Let me be useful, then. I’m going with you,” he insists, and staggers up. I roll my eyes. I don’t care at this point.

We walk slowly, carefully, crossing the Eclipse border. I notice that Dylan’s tense. But despite his exhaustion, he’s scanning the forest cautiously.

We stop at the fern entrance. I look back at him. He’s looking at the camp, with longing in his eyes. “What’s wrong?” I ask softly. He squeezes his eyes shut, and looks down at the ground. “Nothing, nothing.”

I stare at him for a moment longer. “You know you can trust me with anything.” A smile tugs at the corner of his mouth.

“You don’t trust me, so why should I?”

I exhale with annoyance.

“Go,” Dylan murmurs. “But…be careful. If someone in Eclipse set the fire, you can’t trust anyone.” His eyes darken.

“Okay…” I hesitate at the entrance. It feels different—somehow.

“Raven.”

I turn back, staring at his face.

“Stay safe,” he breathes, looking guarded. I offer him a big smile.

“Dylan? Caring? That’s once in a lifetime,” I tease, repeating what he said to me. He smiles faintly to himself. “Who knows?”

I sigh. “I’ll see you later. Maybe,” I conclude. He nods, dipping his head, and backs into the forest, the leaves shivering where he left. I stare up at the entrance, taking a deep breath, and walk through.

The soldiers standing near the entrance stiffen and shift slightly when they recognize my face. The entire camp seems to change once I enter. Whispers spread around the camp like ripples.

“Raven’s back.”

“Where was she?”

“She looks so—”

I block out the rest of the conversations, refusing myself to hear. I’m too tired to care. There, standing in the middle of the camp, is Axel. He’s standing with his arms crossed, his gaze precisely traveling over me, like he’s gathering as much information as he can.

At first, his gaze looks stern, but when I observe closer, he looks angry. His hands are tapping impatiently.

“Raven.”

I slowly approach him, my head bowed in respect. When I look back up, his eyes carry something deeper…fury?

No.

Concern.

“You were gone for quite a while.”

“Yes,” I agree, shuffling my feet.

“Is there a reason?,” Axel demands, his tone even. I open my mouth to answer, already making up excuses.

“I was caught in a fire,” I explain. It’s part of the truth, after all. “And I got injured, so I rested near…” I pause. I can’t give away Dylan’s location. “an oak tree,” I finish, trying to make it sound believable. My palms are sweaty, and I clench them, fidgeting slightly.

Axel studies me for a moment, squinting his eyes.

“You’re hiding something, aren’t you?”

I hold his gaze, fighting the strong urge to break eye contact. “No,” I say, but my voice wavers.

“There’s no way you could’ve gotten yourself out of the fire. It spreaded fast and covered most of the forest.” He inhales shakily. “We thought you were dead.”

It’s true. Half of Eclipse’s land is left in ruins, and for Cobra as well.

“Well, I’m here, aren’t I?”

He thinks for a moment. “Fine, then.”

I sigh with relief.

“You’re staying in camp for the next month. No exceptions.”

My stomach drops.

“What? No-”

“Yes. Until I can figure out what you’re trying to hide,” Axel interrupts, looking stern. I reluctantly dip my head, hiding my frustration. Stuck in camp? For a whole month? What am I even supposed to do?

Something tense travels between me and Axel.

“Camp clean up duty,” Axel explains firmly. “But go get yourself cleaned up. Your clothes are covered in soot.”

“Let’s go to your room,” Saber murmurs gently, slipping up beside me. He wraps his arm around my shoulder, guiding me. I shiver at his warm touch. It catches me off guard. And yet…it feels painfully comforting.

I open the door, and lie on my bed, sighing with relief. He closes the door behind him, and sits down on the bed. “You look really roughed up,” he observes.

“Well, what do you expect?,” I can’t help replying flatly. He huffs in amusement.

“Stay still,” he murmurs, shifting close to me. Before I can ask why, his gaze travels to the bandages. His expression changes suspiciously. “Someone else helped you.”

I stiffen. “I got them on myself.”

Saber raises an eyebrow and sighs, ignoring my statement.

“Who?”

“Doesn’t matter.”

Saber’s eyes narrow, and he looks away. “I guess you’re safe and that’s all I can get out of you for now.”

He doesn’t push me further. I suppress a sigh of relief. He rips off the bandages gently, kneeling, and wipes my injuries down with a wet cloth. It numbs the wounds enough for me to finally breathe properly, and my eyes close for a second. “Feels nice?” He asks, smiling softly. I nod. “Thank you, Saber.” His eyes glisten.

“I’m glad you’re okay. I was so worried.”

“Where’s Solar?”

“She’s out again. Axel’s been keeping her pretty busy.” He finishes, and stands back up, leaning against one of the walls. “She’ll be back in a little bit, though.”

As if on cue, Solar bursts into my room, forgetting how to knock. “RAVEN!” She screams, and wraps her arms around me, throwing me backwards on the bed. “You have to stop scaring me like this, my gosh,” she says, breathing hard.

My face burns as I offer her a faint smile. “Sorry,” I shrug. Her eyes dart to Saber, and a slow, teasing, smile spreads on her face. “Oh, why is he here, hmm?” My cheeks turn red with embarrassment. Saber rubs the back of his neck awkwardly.

“Solar,” I groan, shooting her a warning look. “He’s just helping me.” She flashes me a big grin.

“He’s in your room, and offered to do all that for you.”

“I was just helping,” Saber mutters, putting his hands over his face, looking like he wanted to be anywhere but here.

“Right,” Solar teases slowly. “Next thing I’ll know you’ll be feeding her soup.”

“Solar!” I growl, kicking her. “Ow—what? It’s only the truth!” She says innocently.

“Get out,” Saber groans.

I laugh, but it breaks into a cough. Both their expressions shift to concern, as Solar’s smile fades. “Easy,” Saber says, moving closer instinctively. Hesitating, he slowly puts a hand on my back.

“You good?” Solar murmurs.

“Yea,” I rasp hoarsely.

“I think the smoke messed with her lungs a bit,” Saber murmurs quietly.

“You sound horrible,” Solar remarks.

“Thank you,” I croak sarcastically. She rolls her eyes.

“You know what I mean.” She turns to Saber, her eyes turning cold.

“They say that the fire was not natural.”

Saber’s eyes darken. “I know. There has been traces of oil, and Axel is already questioning patrols. He’s been more…wary and guarded these days.”

“People are already accusing each other,” Solar murmurs sadly.

“And that’s exactly what that person would want,” Saber hisses.

Don’t trust anyone. Dylan’s words echo in my mind, low, cautious. The silence settles heavily around my room.

Because maybe he was right.