xliii
1202 Words
Night had wrapped the Vlada camp in heavy silence. Most of the fires had burned low, leaving behind only soft orange embers. The people were tired—some still grieving the morning's deaths, others resting after fixing the broken parts of the camp. But in the shadows, danger had not passed. It was just beginning.
Nash walked through the darker edge of the camp, away from the tents and the resting guards. His steps were quiet, eyes darting around, checking if anyone followed. He passed by the storage tent, then the water barrels. No one was nearby.
He waited a moment longer before slipping behind one of the boulders near the hill. He pulled something from inside his coat—a small, dark round device with a red light at the center. He pressed a button and held it to his mouth.
“This is Nash.”
The device clicked once.
“Go ahead,” Hector’s voice replied through the static. His tone was smooth, relaxed.
“Two targets down. Both were people she healed. The camp's confused. They're afraid. I just need time to pick the next one,” he added.
There was a pause. Then Hector spoke again.
“Good. Keep going. Let her think it’s her fault. It’ll break her faster than a blade,” he said.
Nash nodded and turned off the device. He was just about to hide it again when a voice behind him growled.
“I knew you were the f*****g traitor, Nash.”
Nash spun around fast. Standing behind him, sword already drawn, was Leon.
Leon’s eyes burned with anger, his shoulders tense. His voice was low, cold.
“You really thought I wouldn't notice?” Leon asked as Nash looked stunned for a second.
“H-How?”
Leon took a step forward, sword still at his side but ready to strike.
“The second victim,” he said. “The woman you killed—she spoke. Not with words. She was already gone when we found her. But her wounds told me everything,” he added. Nash froze.
“What do you mean?”
Leon lifted his free hand and pointed to his own shoulder.
“She had an X mark. It was cut into her arm—small, shallow, hidden under the blood. But I saw it. You always mark your kills like that, don’t you? Used to brag about it when you hunted criminals for money. Said it was your way of ‘keeping score.’”
Nash’s face twisted in panic.
“That doesn’t mean—”
“Don’t lie to me,” Leon snapped. “None of the other guards knew about that. None of them would've used that mark. Only you,” he added.
Nash stepped back slowly, one hand drifting toward the dagger on his belt.
“Leon, listen, I had no choice. Azul... he offered things. Promises. Safety. Power,” he said. “I could give these to you too! Think about it, Leon!” he added.
Leon didn't blink.
“You betrayed all of us. You let her heal people just so you could kill them later. You wanted her to break and you wanted me to join?” he said.
Nash gritted his teeth.
“She was never going to win. You think she can stop him? Azul's already ten steps ahead. I'm just making sure I survive when the rest of you fall,” Nash said.
Leon moved fast.
In one motion, he stepped forward, knocked Nash’s hand aside, and slammed the hilt of his sword into Nash’s stomach. The traitor collapsed to his knees, gasping.
Leon kicked away the dagger Nash had tried to pull.
“You won’t hurt anyone else,” Leon said, grabbing him by the collar.
Voices began to rise from the camp as others noticed the noise. Lights flared. Kieran, Celestia, and several warriors rushed toward them.
“Leon?” Kieran called. “What happened?” he added. Leon tossed Nash forward.
“Found our spy.”
Celestia’s eyes widened.
“Nash? No... he was one of us.”
Leon looked at her. His voice softened just a bit.
“I know. But it was him. The marks he left on the second victim matched his old habit. He reported to Hector. I heard it myself,” Leon said, clearly frustrated of what happened. Nash was his best fighter and he didn't expect he will betray his comrades.
Kieran's eyes turned cold as he stared at Nash.
“You planned this. You let people die,” he said. Nash looked up, face full of fear now.
“He’s going to kill all of you. I just wanted to live,” Nash said, his eyes wild and full of fear.
Celestia stepped forward, her eyes locked on him. Her voice was soft, but it cut deeper than any sword.
“You could have lived with us,” she said. “You could have chosen better. We trusted you.”
Nash laughed, bitter and shaky.
“Trusted? Trust doesn’t stop death,” he said. “You don’t understand what Azul can do. You’ve seen small things—just touches of his power. But he’s capable of worse. Much worse.”
“No,” Celestia said, her voice steady. “I’ve seen enough. I’ve seen the fear he spreads, the destruction he brings. But I’ve also seen what hope can do.”
Nash shook his head hard. “Hope won’t save you. He will kill all of us. You. Me. The clans. Everyone. I just—I wanted to survive. That’s all.”
Kieran stepped beside Celestia, eyes narrowed. “And so you chose to betray us? You gave Azul names, faces—people we protected. You helped him murder them.”
Nash’s hands shook. “You think it was easy? I never wanted this! But I was already in too deep. Hector said if I gave him information, if I helped him quietly, he’d keep me alive. I didn’t mean for it to go this far…”
Celestia’s heart ached. She remembered Nash laughing around the fire, teasing Kieran, making light of dark days. She wanted to believe that version of him was real.
But she couldn’t.
“You chose fear,” she said quietly. “And now people are dead because of it.”
Tears filled Nash’s eyes.
“You’ll see. You’ll regret not listening to me. When Azul comes in full force, everything you’ve built will fall apart.”
Leon stepped forward now, blade still in his hand.
“Enough. You made your choice, Nash. And now, we’ll make ours," he added.
“Lock him up. Keep him under watch day and night. And check every wounded person in camp for that mark.”
They dragged Nash away, his shouts fading into the night.
Celestia felt Kieran gently touch her arm. She looked at him, her chest tight.
“He was our friend,” she whispered.
“He made his choice,” Kieran said. “But we still have time to stop the rest.”
Celestia looked out at the camp.
The danger hadn’t passed.
But the truth had finally come to light.
And now, they could fight back.
- Writer
