Page 77 of Unravelled
Tharion stood like stone beside him, unreadable but not innocent. He hadn't told Ren. A sliver of hope stirred. Maybe there was still something left to mend between her and Tharion. A thread not entirely severed.
Her eyes flicked back to Ren. And the rest of it vanished. His gaze remained on her, fierce and unblinking. That tug she tried so hard to resist threatened to drag her under. No matter how tightly she crossed her arms, she couldn’t block it out. She inhaled slowly.
“In the west hall, I heard Asric speaking with someone. He said their next move comes at Veiled Night...” Ren didn’t flinch, but his jaw tightened, frustration flashing in his eyes.
She chose her words carefully. Tharion told you about Seacliffe,” she said, voice taut. “But not this?”
Ren nodded once. Her gaze darted to Tharion, still silent at Ren’s side. Of course. Tharion had been fed Ren more than what they had done.He’d passed on the Kharadors’ movements to Ren. Her chest tightened, the sting of betrayal burning hot behind her ribs.
She stared at Tharion "Did you lead the Kharadors to Hallen?”
“Yes,” Ren said, finally. His voice was low. Frustrated. Unapologetic. Mira’s stomach churned.
“But not before we got them out,” Tharion added. “Every single person we could reach. We pulled them from their homes before Kharador crossed the ridge. Ren gave the order to evacuate Hallen before we had left Seacliffe.”
Her voice rose. “So you handed it to them? You just gave it up?”
“No,” Ren growled, his frustration flaring just beneath the surface. “I made a choice. The kind rulers are supposed to make. I put Bharalyn people above land.”
Mira shook her head. “You let it burn.”
“I saved what mattered,” Ren snapped, his voice cutting through her anger like ice. “You think I wanted this? You think I’ve slept at all, knowing what was coming? But it was either evacuate them quietly, or let them stay and die screaming.”
Tharion’s jaw tightened as he looked away, retreating a fraction.
“Do you know what happens if we try to defend every inch?” Ren asked, softer now. His voice no longer sharp, but heavy with exhaustion. “We lose. Slowly, completely.”
Ren lifted a hand, palm open, not pleading, exposed. The gesture hovered in the air for a moment, then fell as he took a slow step toward her.
“You think I don’t hate it?” he continued. “That I don’t ache with guilt over what I’ve had to sign off on? But there’s no glory in dying for stones and smoke.”
Another step. Closer now.
“I made sure we didn’t lose them,” he said, eyes locked to hers. “The land can be taken back. People can’t.”
Mira’s breath caught. Her fury wavered, but the ache didn’t fade. It only shifted, lower in her chest, heavier.
“You’re not the only one who’s trying to help them,” Her voice didn’t waver. She looked between Ren and Tharion. “But I can’t do that if I’m always chasing shadows. If I’m always the last to know.”
Ren’s mouth pressed into a line. Mira stepped forward, closing the last of the distance between her and Ren, until they stood almost chest to chest. She could feel the heat of him, the tension thrumming beneath his stillness. Neither of them moved, the air between them drawn tight, sharp as wire. Ren’s gaze faltered, just for a moment. He glanced at Tharion. And Tharion, for the first time, looked uncertain.
Mira didn’t let the moment pass. “I know there’s something more you’re not telling me, something about my memories. And Tharion’s.”
The silence that followed was not hesitation. It was a precipice. Mira felt it in her bones, the shift in air, the bracing before a fall. Neither man moved, but the air shifted. Something final exchanged in silence, no glance required. A line being crossed. A door opening that could not be closed again.
Tharion spoke. “Tell her,” he murmured. “Or I will.”
Ren spun around to face him. The flicker of betrayal lit in his expression, raw and sudden. His jaw tensed, and his hands curled into fists at his sides.
“You don’t get to decide this Tharion.” His voice flared, raw and incendiary.
Tharion didn’t flinch. “But it is hers to know. You’ve waited too long already. You’re not protecting her by keeping her in the dark.”
Mira stood between them, her breath came in shallow bursts, each second stretching into forever. She looked between them, watching the way neither would yield. Whatever had been silent before was now boiling to the surface.
Ren’s posture shifted. The fight washed out of him. Hishead dropped slightly, as if the weight of the world had found his shoulders all at once. He inhaled once, deep and slow and turned, and when he opened his eyes again, the fire was gone. Only ash and truth remained.
“I am the blood-born son of the Crowned Betrothed,” he sighed.
