Siegfried surfaced from darkness slowly, as if rising through deep water. His breath caught on a sharp pain in his ribs, and for a moment he could not tell if he was awake or still trapped in the fading edges of a nightmare.
A faint glow pulsed above him.
Not sunlight.
Not firelight.
Crystal light.
He blinked, vision swimming, and the world sharpened into fractured colors. He lay on a smooth stone floor, surrounded by towering shards of crystal that rose like frozen lightning from the earth. Their inner glow shifted in soft waves, casting the cave in hues of blue and violet.
A silhouette stood at the entrance.
Tall. Still. Watching him.
Siegfried's hand twitched toward his side, searching for a weapon he no longer had. Pain flared through his shoulder where the arrow had struck, and he hissed through his teeth.
"Easy," a voice said.
Not hostile.
Not familiar.
Calm.
The silhouette stepped closer, and the crystal light caught the edges of a cloak, a pair of boots dusted with earth, and hands that bore faint traces of dried blood. Not his blood. Someone else's.
"You are awake sooner than I expected," the figure said. "That is good. It means you will live."
Siegfried forced himself upright, bracing against the nearest crystal. The surface was warm beneath his palm, humming faintly with energy. "Who are you," he rasped.
The figure did not answer immediately. Instead, they crouched beside him, placing a small waterskin within reach.
"You were dying on the plains," they said. "I dragged you here before the scavengers found you."
Siegfried's vision steadied enough to see the person clearly now. A hood shadowed most of their face, but their posture was relaxed, unthreatening. They moved with the quiet confidence of someone who knew these lands well.
Siegfried's jaw tightened. He tried to stand, but the pain in his side forced him back to one knee.
The stranger reached out, steadying him with a firm hand. "Do not be foolish. You will bleed out long before you reach them."
Siegfried glared up at them. "Then why save me."
The figure paused, studying him with an unreadable gaze.
"Because," they said quietly, "you are not the only one in Gishtar who has something the Red Veil wants."
The crystals around them pulsed once, as if reacting to the words.
Siegfried's breath slowed, the weight of the cave pressing in around him. The stranger stood again, their silhouette framed by the glowing crystal walls.
"Rest," they said. "When you can walk, I will tell you what you need to know."
Siegfried leaned back against the crystal, the hum of its magic steady beneath him. His wounds throbbed, his vision blurred, but one thought cut through the haze with perfect clarity. "I need to save them."
Siegfried drifted in and out of consciousness, the world around him dissolving into shifting colors and muffled echoes. The pain in his ribs pulsed with every heartbeat, warm and heavy, pulling him deeper into the dark.
At some point, he felt himself being moved. Lifted. Dragged.
Then nothing.
When he finally surfaced again, the cave around him glowed softly, its towering crystals pulsing with gentle waves of blue and violet light. The air was cool and still, carrying the faint hum of magic that threaded through the stone.
He tried to sit up.
Pain flared instantly, sharp and blinding.
A hand pressed against his chest, firm but careful. "Do not move."
Siegfried blinked, vision swimming until it settled on the figure kneeling in front of him.
A woman.
A dark elf.
Her lavender hair fell in a smooth curtain over one shoulder, catching the crystal light in soft, iridescent hues. Silver eyes studied him with a calm, assessing focus. She wore a dark cloak draped loosely around her, and beneath it, fitted garments designed for speed and silence. Light, flexible, and cut to allow full movement. Practical. Lethal. Assassin's attire.
She tightened a bandage around his ribs with practiced precision.
Siegfried's voice came out rough. "Who… are you."
She didn't answer immediately. Instead, she checked the arrow wound in his shoulder, her fingers cool and steady as she applied a fresh wrap. Only when she was satisfied did she sit back on her heels.
"My name is Sentra Evangale," she said. Her voice was low and smooth, carrying a quiet confidence. "You were dying on the plains. I brought you here."
Siegfried's breath hitched. "Ellina. Vinrah. They were taken."
Sentra's expression softened only slightly. "I saw the mercenaries riding north. They had two captives. Both alive."
He tried to push himself upright, but the pain drove him back down. Sentra caught his shoulder again, her grip surprisingly strong for her size.
"You will tear the stitches if you keep fighting me," she said. "Lie still."
He exhaled shakily, frustration burning beneath his exhaustion. "Why help me."
Sentra tilted her head, studying him. "Because you were the only one left breathing. And because the Red Veil does not take prisoners without reason."
Her silver eyes narrowed, thoughtful. "They wanted you dead. They wanted the women alive. That tells me enough."
Siegfried's vision blurred again, the cave spinning softly around him. He fought to stay awake, but Sentra placed a cool hand against his forehead.
"Rest," she murmured. "You are safe here. For now."
His eyes closed despite his will.
The last thing he saw was Sentra Evangale's silhouette framed by the glowing crystals, watching over him with the quiet vigilance of someone who had chosen, for reasons unknown, to keep him alive.
The second time Siegfried woke; it was slower.
No jolting pain.
No panic.
Just a dull ache pulsing through his ribs and shoulder, steady and manageable.
The crystals above him glowed in soft waves, their light shifting from violet to blue and back again. The hum in the air was gentle, almost soothing. He drew a breath, winced, and forced his eyes to stay open.
Someone moved nearby.
Sentra Evangale sat with her back to one of the larger crystals, sharpening a thin, curved blade with quiet, rhythmic strokes. The sound echoed faintly in the chamber, blending with the low hum of the crystal walls.
She noticed him before he spoke.
"You are awake," she said, sliding the blade back into a sheath hidden beneath her cloak. "Good. I was beginning to wonder if you intended to sleep through the rest of the week."
Siegfried shifted, testing his strength. The pain was still there, but the bleeding had stopped. The bandages were tight and clean. "How long was I out."
"Long enough," Sentra replied. "Your body needed it."
He pushed himself upright, bracing against the crystal behind him. It was warm to the touch, pulsing faintly beneath his palm. "You saved my life."
Sentra tilted her head slightly. "I kept you from dying. Saving your life is something you will have to do yourself."
He studied her for a moment. Her lavender hair caught the crystal light, giving her an almost ethereal glow. Her silver eyes, however, were sharp and grounded, watching him with the cool focus of someone who trusted nothing easily.
"Why bring me here," he asked.
"Because this cave is hidden," she said. "And because the crystals accelerate healing. Not enough to fix everything, but enough to keep you alive."
Siegfried drew a slow breath, the frustration simmering beneath the surface. "Ellina and Vinrah. You said they were alive."
"They were when the Red Veil rode past," Sentra confirmed. "Two captives. Both unconscious. They were heading north, toward the old trade road."
He exhaled slowly, relief and dread twisting together. "I have to go after them."
"You will," Sentra said. "But not today."
He looked at her sharply. "I cannot wait."
"You cannot walk without falling," she countered. "And if you collapse on the road, you will be of no use to anyone."
Siegfried opened his mouth to argue, but the truth of her words settled heavily in his chest. His body trembled with the effort of simply sitting upright. His wounds throbbed with every breath.
Sentra watched him quietly, then added, "I know what it is to lose people. I know the urgency. But rushing into death will not save them."
He lowered his gaze, breath unsteady. "I should have protected them."
Sentra's expression softened, just barely. "You were outnumbered. Outmaneuvered. And you fought until you could not stand. That is not failure."
He didn't answer.
She rose to her feet, her movements fluid and silent. "Rest a little longer. When you can stand without shaking, we will talk about what comes next."
Siegfried leaned back against the crystal, letting its warmth steady him. His breath slowed. His vision cleared.
This time, he stayed awake.
And Sentra Evangale watched him with the quiet, measured patience of someone who had already decided she would not let him die.
Siegfried shifted against the crystal, breath steadying. "They shot me because they wanted the women."
Sentra didn't flinch. She stepped closer, the soft glow of the crystals catching in her silver eyes. "Yes," she said. "That much is obvious."
Her voice held no cruelty, only a blunt honesty that cut cleaner than any blade.
"They needed you out of the way," she continued. "You were the only one who fought like you meant to win. The guards died before they even understood what was happening. But you…" She studied him, head tilting slightly. "You made them work for it."
Siegfried's hands curled weakly at his sides. "Ellina and Vinrah were knocked unconscious. They couldn't defend themselves."
"That is why they were taken," Sentra said. "Captives are easier to move when they are not screaming or fighting."
He drew a slow breath, frustration simmering beneath the surface. "They targeted me first."
"They feared you," Sentra replied. "Or they feared what you might do if you stayed standing."
Siegfried looked up at her sharply. "You think I'm dangerous."
Sentra didn't hesitate. "I know you are."
The cave hummed softly around them, the crystals pulsing like a heartbeat.
"But danger is not always a bad thing," she added. "Sometimes it is the only thing that keeps people alive."
Siegfried held her gaze, searching for any hint of deception. There was none. Only a quiet, measured certainty.
Sentra crouched beside him again, her cloak pooling around her like a shadow. "They wanted the women alive. That means they are valuable to someone. Valuable enough to risk an ambush on the king's road."
Siegfried's voice dropped. "Ellina is not just anyone."
Sentra's eyes narrowed slightly. "Then you understand why the Red Veil moved so quickly."
He swallowed hard. "I have to get them back."
"You will," Sentra said. "But not until you can stand without falling."
She rose again, her silhouette framed by the glowing crystals. "And not until you tell me why the Red Veil would risk a war to take them."
Siegfried's breath caught.
Sentra watched him, waiting.
"Trust," she said quietly, "is a blade with two edges. If you want my help, you will need to decide which edge you are willing to hold."
Siegfried let the silence stretch between them, the crystals humming softly around the edges of the cave. The ache in his ribs had dulled to a deep, steady throb. His shoulder burned, but not with the same blinding intensity as before.
He tested his fingers against the stone.
Steady.
Not strong, but steady.
Sentra watched him with her arms folded beneath her cloak, expression unreadable.
Siegfried drew a slow breath, bracing himself. "I need to stand."
Sentra didn't move. "You are not ready."
"I don't have the luxury of waiting."
He shifted his weight forward, planting one hand against the crystal wall. The warmth pulsed beneath his palm, grounding him. His legs trembled as he pulled them beneath him, muscles protesting the movement.
Sentra stepped closer, not touching him, but close enough to intervene if he collapsed. "If you tear those stitches, I am not sewing you back together twice."
Siegfried ignored the warning. He pushed.
His body shook violently at first, the pain flaring through his ribs like a hot wire. He gritted his teeth, breath sharp and controlled. Inch by inch, he forced himself upright.
His knees wobbled.
His vision blurred.
But he stayed standing.
Sentra's silver eyes narrowed slightly, not in disapproval but in assessment. "Stubborn," she murmured. "That will either save you or kill you."
Siegfried steadied himself with one hand on the crystal, the other pressed lightly against his bandaged ribs. "I am not dying here."
"No," Sentra said. "You are not."
He looked at her, breathing hard. "You said trust is earned. Then watch."
Sentra's expression shifted, not softening, but sharpening, as if something in him had confirmed a suspicion she'd been holding.
"You can stand," she said. "Good. Now prove you can walk."
Siegfried took one step.
Pain lanced through his side, but he didn't fall.
Sentra nodded once, the faintest hint of approval in her voice. "Then we can begin."
Siegfried took another step, slower this time, but steady. The crystals pulsed around him, their glow catching in the bandages wrapped across his ribs. His breath came tight, controlled, but he did not falter.
Sentra watched him with her arms folded, her expression unreadable. "Good," she said. "You are not as fragile as you look."
He managed a faint, humorless breath. "I have been called worse."
"Then you will survive this," she replied.
He turned toward her fully, leaning lightly against the crystal wall. "I need to know where they took Ellina and Vinrah."
"I do not know exactly where but I have an idea.," Sentra said. "But information is a blade. You do not hand it to someone who cannot hold it."
Siegfried met her gaze, steady despite the pain. "Then tell me what I need to hold."
For the first time, something flickered in Sentra's silver eyes. Not softness. Not trust. But recognition the quiet acknowledgment of someone who had lived long enough to know when a person refused to break.
She stepped closer, her cloak whispering across the stone. "Rest tonight. At dawn, we move. I will show you the trail they left."
Siegfried nodded once, the weight of exhaustion settling over him again. He eased himself back down, the crystal's warmth steadying his descent. His legs trembled, but he stayed upright long enough to lower himself without collapsing.
Sentra crouched beside him, checking the bandages one last time. "You will hurt in the morning," she said. "But you will walk."
He closed his eyes briefly, letting the hum of the cave settle into his bones. "Thank you."
Sentra paused, her hand hovering for a moment before she withdrew it. "Do not thank me yet. You may regret it."
He opened his eyes, meeting her gaze. "I doubt that."
She stood, her silhouette framed by the glowing crystals. "Sleep. You will need your strength."
Siegfried let his head rest back against the warm stone. The pain dulled. His breathing steadied. The last thing he saw before sleep pulled him under was Sentra Evangale, silent and watchful, a shadow carved in violet light.
Outside the cave, the plains of Gishtar stretched into darkness.
And somewhere far to the north, Ellina and Vinrah were waiting.