Chapter 153

Chapter 153: Chapter 153

The crypt was cold and silent, the only sound the faint drip of water from somewhere in the darkness. Corvin knelt beside Killian’s body, his mind reeling from the name that still echoed in his ears.

Elias.

Elias Nightveil. The quiet scout. The loyal member of Soren’s team. The one who had fought beside them in the Mistwood, who had watched their backs, who had seemed so utterly unremarkable.

He was Varek’s son. And he was the mastermind.

Corvin rose slowly, his legs unsteady. He had to tell the others. They had been hunting the wrong man—or at least, not the only man. Varek was in prison, but his network was alive and well. And Elias was at its heart.

He made his way back to the academy in a daze, the weight of the discovery pressing down on him. The meeting place was the old watchtower, as always. Soren, Ragnar, and Roderic were already there, their faces grim.

"Well?" Soren demanded. "Did you find him?"

"I found him." Corvin’s voice was hollow. "He’s dead. Poisoned, just like Draven. Someone got to him before I could."

"Did he say anything before he died?"

Corvin met Soren’s eyes. "He named the mastermind. Elias Nightveil."

The silence that followed was absolute.

"Elias?" Ragnar repeated, disbelief written across his scarred face. "Elias was one of us. He fought beside us in the Mistwood. He was on Soren’s team."

"He was also Varek’s son," Corvin said. "A spy, planted in our midst. He’s been feeding information to his father since the beginning."

Roderic’s expression darkened. "Varek’s son. That explains a lot. The access. The information. The ability to stay one step ahead of us."

"But why?" Ragnar demanded. "Why would he betray us? Why would he want Nyra dead?"

"Because Varek wanted the throne," Soren said quietly. "And Elias wanted his father’s approval. The Astrlyn pack was never going to accept Varek while Nyra was alive. She was the rightful heir. As long as she breathed, his claim was illegitimate."

"So he killed her." Ragnar’s hands curled into fists. "He killed her to clear the path for his father."

"Not just that." Corvin’s voice was tight. "Elias was working with someone. Killian said as much before he died. Someone who was pulling the strings from the shadows. Someone even Varek didn’t know about."

"Who?" Soren asked.

"I don’t know. But I intend to find out." Corvin looked around the room. "Elias is the key. If we can capture him, we can make him talk. He’ll know who the real mastermind is."

"Then we go after Elias," Ragnar said. "Tonight. Before he has a chance to run."

Soren shook his head. "Not yet. If we move too quickly, we’ll spook him. He’ll go to ground, and we’ll lose him. We need to watch him first. Learn his patterns. Find out who he’s working with."

"And if he runs before we’re ready?"

"He won’t. He doesn’t know we’re onto him." Soren’s golden eyes blazed. "As far as he’s concerned, the investigation is still focused on Varek. We have the element of surprise. We just need to use it."

The four of them stood in the dim tower, the weight of the revelation settling over them. They had found a new enemy. A hidden enemy.

In the Moon Court, Nyra was planning her escape.

She had learned the guard rotations. She knew the blind spots. She had memorized the path from her room to the garden wall, and from the garden wall to the edge of the star-field. She had even managed to slip past the guards once or twice, testing the limits of her freedom.

But tonight, she was ready to go further.

Are you sure about this? Luna asked, her voice tense.

I have to try. I have to warn them. Finn is still out there, and they don’t know.

But the goddess—

The goddess isn’t here. She’s in the great hall, meeting with the high priestess. This is our best chance.

Nyra slipped out of her room and moved through the corridors like a shadow. The palace was quiet, the Moonblood souls having retired to their quarters. The guards stood at their posts, their luminous forms casting long shadows across the silver floor.

She reached the garden wall without incident. The gate was guarded, but the wall itself was low enough to climb. She scrambled over it and dropped onto the star-field beyond.

The field stretched before her, endless and beautiful. She ran.

She ran until the palace was a distant glow behind her. She ran until the stars themselves seemed to shift and swirl around her. She ran until she reached the edge of the realm—a boundary of shimmering light that separated the Moon Court from the void beyond.

And then a voice stopped her.

"Did you really think I wouldn’t notice?"

Nyra turned.

The Moon Goddess stood behind her, her form blazing with silver fire. Her face was a mask of sorrow and fury.

"Mother—"

"Don’t." The goddess’s voice was sharp. "Don’t call me that when you’re trying to throw your life away."

"I’m not throwing my life away. I’m trying to protect the people I love."

"The people you love? The boy who betrayed you? The prince who forgot you? Those people?" The goddess stepped closer. "They don’t deserve your sacrifice, Nyra. They never did."

"That’s not for you to decide."

"It is, actually. I am your mother. I am the Moon Goddess. And I will not let you return to a world that wants you dead."

Nyra’s hands clenched into fists. "Then I’ll find another way. I’ll escape again. And again. And again. Until you let me go."

The goddess stared at her for a long moment. Then her expression softened, just slightly.

"You are so much like him," she murmured. "Your father. Stubborn and fierce and utterly infuriating."

Nyra blinked. "My father?"

"Alexander Astrlyn. The man I loved before I became what I am." The goddess’s eyes grew distant. "He was mortal. I was divine. Our love was forbidden. But it was real. And it produced you."

Nyra’s breath caught. She had known the goddess was her true mother, but she hadn’t known the full story. She hadn’t known about the love that had created her.

"Why are you telling me this?" she asked.

"Because I want you to understand. I lost your father when I was forced to return to the heavens. I lost you when I sent you to the mortal world. And I almost lost you again when that arrow pierced your heart." The goddess’s voice broke. "I cannot lose you a third time, Nyra. I cannot."

Tears welled in Nyra’s eyes. "But keeping me here isn’t the answer. It’s just another kind of loss."

The goddess was silent for a long moment. Then she reached out and touched Nyra’s cheek.

"I know," she whispered. "But I’m not ready to let you go. Not yet."

She gestured, and two guards materialized at Nyra’s side. "Take her back to her room. She’s not to leave without my permission."

Nyra didn’t resist. She couldn’t. The fight had gone out of her.

But as the guards led her back to the palace, she made a silent vow: she would find another way. She would escape. She would return to the mortal world.

No matter what it took.

Valeria found Soren in the watchtower late that night.

She had been looking for him for hours, her mind churning with what she had learned. Elias was Varek’s son. But there was more. Something she hadn’t told anyone yet. Something that frightened her more than she wanted to admit.

"Valeria." Soren’s voice was cold. "I wasn’t expecting you."

"I know. But I need to talk to you. It’s important." She stepped into the tower, her eyes scanning the shadows. "Is anyone else here?"

"Just me. The others are watching Elias."

"Good." She took a deep breath. "I’ve been gathering information. From Elias. From Selene’s friends. From the servants. And I’ve discovered something... troubling."

"What is it?"

"Elias and Finn are brothers."

Soren’s expression changed. "What do you mean"?

"Yes, Finn has been hiding his true nature?" Valeria’s voice dropped to a whisper. "Finn isn’t the foolish, friendly boy everyone thinks he is. He’s been playing a role. A very convincing one."

Soren’s eyes narrowed. "What are you saying?"

"I’m saying that Finn might be more involved in this than we thought. He’s not just Varek’s son. He’s something else. Something dangerous."

"Finn?" Soren shook his head. "Finn was Nyra’s closest friend. Her roommate. He was loyal to her."

"Was he? Or was he just pretending?" Valeria stepped closer. "Think about it, Soren. Finn had access to everything. Nyra’s secrets. Her plans. The investigation. If he was working for Varek—or for someone even more powerful he would have been in the perfect position to sabotage everything."

Soren was silent for a long moment. The doubt was there, lurking at the edges of his mind. Finn. The boy who made terrible jokes. The boy who had seemed so harmless.

It can’t be, he thought. It can’t.

But even as he thought it, the pieces began to fall into place.

"I don’t have proof," Valeria said quietly. "But I’m certain, Soren. Finn is involved. And if we don’t stop him soon, he’ll destroy us all."

Soren looked at her—at the fear in her eyes, at the certainty in her voice. And he knew, with a cold, sinking feeling, that she was right.

The traitor had been hiding in plain sight all along. And his name was Finn Harlan.