The forge city was quieter in the early morning, though the warmth of the molten rivers still glowed through the stone corridors. The celebration from the night before echoed faintly in Astrid’s memory—music, lights, the weight of Kurai’s cloak on her shoulders.

  Now, it felt like the silence had settled in deep.

  She stirred from her bed, blinking into the warm, low light. Her hand brushed instinctively over the necklace at her collarbone—the emberstone pendant Kurai had bought her. She hadn’t taken it off. It felt warm against her skin, comforting.

  Across the room, Kurai was already up. He stood near the overlook that led down into the forge’s heart, arms folded, gaze steady.

  He wasn’t brooding this time. Not pacing, not fidgeting.

  He was still.

  She padded over, arms tucked into her sleeves. “You always stare dramatically into lava, or is this a new thing?”

  Kurai didn’t look at her. “It’s quiet.”

  A pause.

  “That’s rare,” he added. “But it won’t stay that way.”

  She didn’t know what to say. Something about his calm unsettled her more than his usual irritation.

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  ---

  The door burst open.

  Galgur strode in fast, his usual gruff humor nowhere to be seen. “Enforcers. Just past the ridge. Full hunt squad.”

  Astrid’s stomach dropped. “They’re here?”

  “Not inside yet,” Galgur said. “But they will be.”

  Kurai didn’t curse. Didn’t flare. He just turned, already moving to grab his pack.

  “Then we move,” he said. “Now.”

  Astrid blinked. She’d expected him to argue, to drag his feet, maybe mutter something sarcastic. But he was focused. Clipped. Sharp.

  Galgur squinted at him. “You’re awfully calm for someone about to be hunted.”

  Kurai glanced over. “Panicking won’t help us.”

  A pause.

  “But clarity might.”

  ---

  They met Elder Rundrin in his chamber again. This time, the scrolls were already packed, the floating orb dimmed.

  Rundrin was serious—but not scared. “There’s a path,” he said. “An old tunnel beneath the city. Forgotten, mostly. It’ll take you to the riverlands. From there, you cross the capital’s shadow, cut through the marsh, and if you’re lucky…”

  He tapped a trembling finger against the map.

  “You’ll reach the volcano. The one the dragons once called home.”

  Astrid looked at the path. It twisted, curved, veered dangerously close to enemy territory.

  “This looks impossible.”

  Rundrin chuckled. “It usually is.”

  Then, quieter: “Only those who are worthy ever reach it.”

  She waited for Kurai to scoff. To say something biting.

  But he didn’t.

  He stepped forward, eyes fixed on the map. “Then we’ll find out if we are.”

  Astrid looked at him. That was the first time he’d said ‘we’ without sarcasm.

  ---

  They packed quickly.

  Astrid watched Kurai check through their gear with brisk efficiency.

  “Didn’t peg you for the camping checklist type,” she said, trying to keep the tone light.

  Kurai didn’t look up. “We can’t afford to miss anything.”

  Astrid hesitated. “You’re different today.”

  He didn’t stop. "This isn’t time to be psychoanalysing me, Astrid."

  Right. Bigger problems to deal with.

  ---

  Rundrin waited at the mouth of the tunnel, his beard braided tighter than usual.

  “You’ll find a way,” he said.

  He looked at Kurai. Hesitated.

  Then, gruffly: “Don’t blow anything up unless you mean to.”

  Kurai’s mouth twitched. “No promises.”

  Galgur handed Astrid another bag of supplies, “look after yourself lass you hear? Him too”

  Astrid thanked him and with a gentle nod they stepped into the dark.

  Astrid glanced back once, at the fading light of the forge city. She felt the weight of the map in her pack, the necklace against her skin, the warmth of Kurai just ahead of her.

  She’d always been the one dragging them forward.

  But this time…

  Kurai waited for her

  This time they were walking together.