Semua Bab Silver Oath : Bab 1 - Bab 10

The wind shifted over the village of Brindlemark, carrying with it the smell of rain, woodsmoke, and something metallic that Kaelen Thorne could not place. He sat hunched over his desk in the loft of his small home, the flame of a beeswax candle throwing long shadows over the cluttered parchment and ink stains. His spellbook lay open to a page on fire wards, though his eyes had drifted long ago from the curling runes. Instead, the margins were filled with sketches of forests, stars, and faces he had never seen but always dreamed of—sharp features, pointed ears, and hair that shimmered like moonlight.He should have been studying. Master Renald, the village’s only mage, often reminded him of his shortcomings: his spells fizzled, his concentration broke too easily, and his mind wandered like a boy chasing fireflies. But tonight his thoughts felt heavy, pulled toward something beyond the ink and parchment.Then the howl came.It rose through the night like a blade of ice, so sharp it mad

The forest at night was a different world.Kaelen had grown up among trees, but never like these—here the trunks rose tall and black, their crowns blotting out most of the stars. The undergrowth tangled his boots, while every snapping twig sent his heart racing. He kept glancing at Elira, moving like a ghost ahead of him despite the arrow still lodged in her side. How could she be so quiet, so steady, when he felt like a thunderstorm crashing through the brush?“Stay light on your heels,” she whispered once, glancing back at him. “You sound like a drunk bear.”Kaelen muttered under his breath, but he tried. He didn’t want to admit she was right.They had left the ruined village hours ago, guided by Elira’s sense of direction more than Kaelen’s fumbling instinct. The smoke was long gone from the air, replaced by damp earth and the faint sweetness of moss. Still, Kaelen couldn’t shake the feeling that the forest itself was listening.His suspicion proved true just before midnight.They

Dawn broke gray and cold through the trees, the first pale light creeping across moss and roots. Kaelen stirred with a groan, every muscle aching. His dreams had been fire and shadow—faces he didn’t know calling his name, Elira’s eyes turning to ash.He woke to find her crouched nearby, sharpening her dagger against a river stone. The arrow still jutted from her side, though she had bound it tightly with strips of his ruined shirt. Her silver hair caught the early light, gleaming like spun metal. She looked…untouchable, as though no wound could truly reach her.But Kaelen remembered how she had staggered, how her hand had trembled when she pressed it to her ribs.“You should rest,” he rasped, his throat raw.She glanced at him, one corner of her mouth curling faintly. “So says the boy who nearly burned himself alive.”Kaelen grimaced. He sat up slowly, the memory of last night’s firestorm clawing at him. “I didn’t mean to. It just—happened.”Elira studied him for a long moment, then n

Smoke still lingered in the clearing, curling through the trees like ghostly fingers. Kaelen’s body trembled, his skin burning with fever. Each breath was a struggle, as though shards of glass filled his lungs.Elira half-dragged him from the charred grass, her jaw set with determination. She was pale from blood loss, but her grip on his arm was steady.“We can’t stay here,” she murmured, scanning the treeline. “The fire will draw them back—or worse.”Kaelen forced his legs to move, stumbling as she pulled him into the forest. Every step made the world tilt, the taste of ash coating his tongue.“Why didn’t they kill us?” he rasped.Elira’s eyes flicked to him, their violet depths haunted. “Because they can’t. Not yet. You’re too valuable.”Her words chilled him more than the night air.They walked until Kaelen thought his legs would collapse beneath him. When the forest finally thinned, a stream glittered under the moonlight. Elira eased him down beside it, her face tight with strain.

The elves led them through the forest in tense silence. Their steps made no sound, their forms slipping like shadows between the trees. Kaelen stumbled often, his boots loud against the roots and stones, each misstep drawing glares from the hunters who flanked them.Elira walked close, her posture proud, though Kaelen could see the tightness in her jaw, the stiffness of her movements. The arrow wound in her side had not healed; if anything, it was worsening. But she refused to falter under their watchful eyes.Kaelen’s thoughts churned like a storm. Every word Serenya had spoken echoed inside him—Sundering. Fire older than kingdoms. If you fail to master it, the world will end.He wanted answers, but each time he opened his mouth, the hunters’ glares silenced him. Only when night had thickened and they paused near a ring of ancient stones did Elira finally break the silence.“They’ll kill us if we try to run,” she murmured, her words meant only for him.Kaelen glanced at the hunters k