Scarlet chains

Chapter 16---Royal orders

The war room still crackled with leftover energy—residual heat clung to the air, the scent of scorched magic lingering like smoke after a fire.

I stood rooted to the spot, eyes fixed on the empty space where Nova had vanished.

My head still tingled from where she'd *patted my head*.

Cayden paced at the far end of the room, hands flexing, tension radiating from every step. "She walked in here. Glowing. Threatened you. Transformed. Then left?"

I didn't answer.I was staring at a charred edge of the map table where her portal had burned a perfect circle.Besides how many times must I tell him, I hate repeating myself.

"Yes," I finally muttered. "That's exactly what happened."

Cayden scoffed, rubbing his temples. "She really told you to tell me not to worry?"

"She did."I answered, annoyed.

A beat passed in silence.

Then—

*fwoosh.*

The air shimmered, and a glowing *wisp-like spirit* blinked into existence above the table. It hovered lazily in the air, a swirl of ethereal light: pale gold at the edges, deep silver at its core, wrapped in tiny pulses of ancient energy.

It let out a dramatic sigh.

*"Honestly. You two are hopeless."*

We both turned at once.

My eyes narrowed. "What the hell is that?"I asked

Cayden reached instinctively for his blade. "Spirit?"

The wisp pulsed brighter, clearly unimpressed. "Put that shiny little toy away, Wolf-boy."

It floated higher, twirling as if doing aerial ballet. Then in a surprisingly sharp voice:

*"The Queen sent me."*

"Nova,"I said flatly.

The wisp gave a mock bow mid-air. "Queen Nova of the Dual Flame. Herald of Realms. Ruler of... well, *you'll see.*"

Cayden folded his arms. "She sent you to gloat?"

The wisp snorted. "No. She sent me to *babysit you weaklings* so you don't mess anything else up while she's off saving realities or whatever."

I arched a brow. "Babysit?" just who does she think she is.

"Mm-hm." The wisp twirled again, leaving a sparkling trail. "Your tracking spells failed. Your war table is useless. Your seers were 200 years off. You really thought you'd find her?"

Cayden clenched his jaw. "Where is she?"

The wisp giggled. "If you were supposed to know, she wouldn't have told me to say: *'Do not follow. Do not interfere. And do not die.'*"

I let out a breath, his fists curling. "She left us behind."

"Correction," the wisp said, zipping close to his face, "She ascended. You were never *ahead* in the first place."

I exchanged a glance with Cayden—neither of us liking how right that sounded.

Then, just as suddenly, the wisp floated up toward the ceiling, doing a slow circle.

"Oh, and one more thing," it added, glowing brighter.

*"She's watching."*

Then with a little *pop* of golden light—*it vanished.*

Silence settled again.

I looked at Cayden. "Well. I think we just got demoted."

Cayden exhaled. "By a ball of glitter."

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