She led me outside, where a small group of villagers had gathered. The air was heavy, like a storm about to break.
They turned to watch me as I joined them at Priya's side.
"The girl Alis brought back—she's Nox Quell," Priya said evenly.
The name hit like a dropped stone.
Gasps. A ripple of dread swept through the group. Expressions hardened. Fists clenched. I found myself wondering if the girl was safe in her bed.
Before anyone could speak, Corrin sprinted into the circle, a paper clenched in his fist.
"Ransom offer!" he panted. "From the Quell Clan. Under a white flag."
"Ransom?" My brow furrowed. "We're not holding her hostage."
Priya rubbed her face, tension pulling at her features. Around us, the villagers looked equally stunned.
"Maybe we should be," Lyric muttered. The girl beside her looped an arm around her protectively.
Priya began pacing. "Rebel used to talk about this. The Quells were powerful—are powerful. Or... were. Hexa Quell's only remaining blood relative is that child."
The circle erupted in low chatter.
"She's her heir," someone said.
"We have Hexa's heir," I heard Lyric whisper.
"None of us stabbed her," another added. "I was on the front. I would've seen it."
"This reeks of an inside job," Priya muttered. "But why send a ransom?"
"Like the others," someone said. The murmurs grew louder, edgier.
"What others?" I asked sharply.
An older woman stepped forward. I hadn't noticed her until now.
"The Quells have been dying off for years," she said. "Quietly. Strange accidents. Mysterious raids. Hexa's sister died in a battle that was already won. Everyone thought it was a fluke—until Hexa claimed the land. People whispered she planned it."
"Hexa would kill her own kin?" My stomach turned. I tried to imagine the kind of person who could live with that. Who could orchestrate it.
I shuddered.
"It was just a rumor," Lyric snapped. "No one knows what happens in the Quell Clan… unless you're in it." Her eyes glittered. "Maybe I'll ask our little Quell."
I shook my head slowly. "So someone wanted Nox to die in our care. To make it look like we killed her—then they'd move in, claim revenge, and erase us. A clean assassination masked as fallout."
Priya handed me the note. "And now that you saved her, they want her back."
I scanned the paper. Promises of land. Resources. Safety. It was too much. Too polished.
"They'll kill her," I whispered. "Finish what they started. They didn't go to all this trouble just to waste it."
"Is that really our problem?" someone said darkly. "They attacked us."
I crossed my arms. "And sacrificing a child makes us better? Makes us safe? We're not the Quell Clan. I won't stand for it. Neither would Rebel."
Priya's gaze flicked to me. Grief passed behind her eyes—but she knew I was right.
She took a breath. "She's the last of her line. That means power—maybe even legacy. Rebel always said the Quell name wasn't just a title. It's a throne."
"But she's just a kid," Corrin said quietly. I could see in his face he understood.
"She's a Codewright," I said—before I could stop myself.
The words hit like a firecracker.
Silence. Then whispers.
"Another Codewright..."
"If she takes Hexa's place," Lyric said darkly, "she could be worse."
She was staring toward Nox's door, her hand drifting to the scars that marked the side of her face—the ones that took her eye.
"I was the best," she said, voice raw. "Near Elite-level. I could hit a moving target blindfolded. Or so I thought. Then they took my eye. Now... I'm nothing."
I swallowed hard as a single tear traced the ruined skin of her cheek.
Corrin stepped forward and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "You were brilliant," he said. "You still are."
Lyric nodded once, sharply. "But brilliance doesn't last here. We're what they left behind. Broken pieces."
"We are not broken," I said coolly.
Her gaze found mine again. "I'd bet my good eye they come for you next. You'll get an invitation to the new Cradle. With the Elites. The Order of Eden."
At that, the crowd stiffened. A few flinched.
"Enough," Priya said, raising a hand. "We have to think about the village. That offer would sustain us. Rebel isn't here anymore. We need a plan."
I turned to her. "He gave his life protecting us. Giving Nox away like a bargaining chip—it betrays everything he stood for."
Priya looked away.
The next voice to speak surprised me.
"Rebel would've protected her," Lyric murmured. Her fingers grazed her scar. "Just like he protected all of us."
I let out a slow breath. The weight of the moment pressed down hard.
"Let her choose," I said. "If she wants to take her place, she has the right. But she also has the right to walk away."
"She puts a target on us," a man growled. "So do you."
"Exactly," I said. "And I'm not giving up. You saw how today we defended ourselves, you are strong, no matter what you think."
For a moment, no one spoke. Then Priya nodded, quietly.
"You're right," she said. "Even if we need what they're offering, it's wrong to use the child like this. We will find a new way forward."
She turned to the circle. "We need to choose our new leader."
Heads nodded. The crowd was sombre, but resolute.
I waited for Priya to take her place in lieu of Rebel, but she didn't. She gazed at me.
"Council," Priya called, "all in favour of naming Alis De Aura as our new leader?"
Hands went up. One by one. Then nearly all.
I stood there, stunned.
"But Priya—Rebel was your husband. You knew him best."
"I'm tired," she said simply. "Tired of fighting. Of surviving. I need time to mourn. Rebel chose you. He saw something in you."
The hands stayed raised.
My heart thudded. Alis De Aura, leader.
Not just a searcher. A voice. A guide.
I wasn't ready.
But I stepped forward anyway.