Chapter 18

eighteen

. . .

Thaumas

The cold steel of my blade clashed against the traitors, sparks flying in the dim light of the armory. My heart raced, pounding in time with the frantic beat of my wings. Katarina was in danger, and every second counted.

"You'll pay for this, Tharos!" I snarled, my voice a guttural roar. "How could you betray us? Your own family?"

Tharos's eyes glinted with a madness I had never seen before, a twisted mix of ambition and resentment. "You were always the favored son, Thaumas. The golden child. But no more. Raptoria deserves a true leader, not a weakling blinded by love for a human."

His words stung, but I pushed the pain aside. There would be time for reckoning later. Now, all that mattered was reaching Katarina.

I surged forward, my talons raking across Tharos's face. He howled in pain, staggering back. I pressed my advantage, raining down blows with a fury born of desperation. Around us, the sounds of battle raged, loyal warriors clashing with the traitors who had infiltrated our ranks.

A cry pierced the chaos, a sound that chilled me to my core. Katarina. I whirled, my eyes scanning the room. There, in the far corner, I saw her. She was on her knees, one hand pressed to her side, crimson blooming beneath her fingers. A hulking griffin loomed over her, his blade poised for the killing blow.

"No!" The word tore from my throat, raw and primal. I lunged, my wings propelling me across the room. I slammed into the attacker, sending us both tumbling to the ground. We grappled, talons and blades flashing in a deadly dance.

I heard Katarina's voice, weak but determined. "Thaumas, behind you!"

I spun just in time to parry Tharos's blade. He had followed me, a malevolent grin on his bloodied face. "You can't save her, brother. You can't even save yourself."

We clashed again, our blades meeting in a shower of sparks. I could feel my strength waning, the toll of the battle weighing heavy on my limbs. But I couldn't falter. Not now. Not with Katarina's life hanging in the balance.

"Thaumas!" Her cry was a rallying call, a reminder of what I was fighting for. I summoned the last of my reserves, a last surge of energy. With a roar that shook the very stones of the armory, I unleashed a flurry of blows, driving Tharos back.

He stumbled, his guard slipping for a fraction of a second. It was all I needed. My blade found its mark, plunging deep into his chest. His eyes widened, a look of shock and disbelief etched on his face.

"You... you can't..." he gasped, blood bubbling from his lips.

I leaned in close, my voice a whisper. "I just did."

I wrenched my blade free, letting Tharos crumple to the ground. I didn't spare him another glance. My heart, my soul, focused solely on one thing.

"Katarina!" I raced to her side, gathering her in my arms. She was pale, her breathing shallow. But her eyes, those brilliant, defiant eyes, met mine with a fierce intensity.

"I knew you'd come," she murmured, her hand reaching up to caress my cheek. "I never doubted you."

I held her close, my wings enfolding us in a cocoon of warmth and safety. Around us, the battle was winding down, the last of the traitors falling to the blades of our loyal warriors. But at that moment, the world fell away. There was only Katarina, her heart beating in tandem with mine.

"I'll always come for you," I whispered, my voice rough with emotion. "Always."

She smiled, a weak but radiant curve of her lips. "I know. That's why I love you, Thaumas."

The words, spoken with such simple certainty, struck me like a thunderbolt. Love. It was a force I had never truly understood, a power I had never dared to wield. But with Katarina, it felt as natural as breathing, as essential as the air in my lungs.

"I love you too, Kat. More than anything in this world or any other."

The aftermath of the botched ambush still weighed heavily on my mind as Katarina lay beside me, her breath shallow but steady. The infirmary was eerily quiet, the soft hum of the medical equipment the only sound breaking the silence. I watched the steady rise and fall of her chest, my heart a tangle of fear and fury.

How had we been so easily deceived? Someone within our ranks had betrayed us, tipping off the traitors and putting Katarina's life in jeopardy. I clenched my fists, the rage and helplessness nearly overwhelming me. I needed answers, and more than that, I needed to ensure Katarina's safety.

A soft groan pulled me from my thoughts. Her eyes fluttered open, meeting mine with a mixture of pain and determination. "Thaumas," she whispered, her voice barely audible, "we can't let them win."

I took her hand in mine, squeezing gently. "We won't, Kat. I promise you, we won't."

Her gaze hardened, a spark of defiance in her eyes. "Then we need to find out who betrayed us. And we need to do it fast."

I nodded, my resolve solidifying. Katarina was right. We had no time to waste. The traitors were still out there, and as long as they remained hidden, everyone we cared about was at risk.

"Rest now," I said, brushing a stray lock of hair from her forehead. "I'll take care of this."

She nodded weakly, a slight smile playing on her lips. "Be careful."

I leaned down, pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead. "Always."

Leaving the infirmary, I summoned Varkos, and a select few of my most trusted warriors. We convened in a secluded chamber, the tension palpable.

"We have a mole," I began, my voice low and steely. "Someone warned the traitors about our ambush. We need to root them out, and we need to do it now."

Varkos's feathers bristled with anger. "Do you have any leads?"

I shook my head. "None yet. But we start with those who knew about our plan. Question them thoroughly. No one is above suspicion."

The warriors nodded, their expressions grim. They understood the stakes. This was more than just a matter of loyalty; it was a matter of survival.

We spent hours interrogating the warriors and advisors who had been privy to our plan. Each denial felt like a knife twisting deeper in my gut. I wanted to believe them, to trust in their loyalty, but one of them had already betrayed us.

As the night wore on, fatigue set in. I rubbed my eyes, the weight of leadership pressing down on me like a physical burden. Varkos approached, his expression guarded.

"Lord Thaumas," he said, his voice hesitant. "There is one more person we haven't questioned."

I frowned, my mind racing through the list of those involved. "Who?"

He shifted uncomfortably. "Tharos."

The name hit me like a punch to the gut. My brother, the one I had always tried to protect, the one I had left behind when I joined the Legion. The thought of Tharos being involved in this treachery was almost too painful to bear.

"I'll handle it," I said, my voice tighter than I intended. "Bring him to me."

The wait felt interminable as the seconds stretched into agonizing minutes. When Tharos finally entered the chamber, his wings tightly folded against his back, his eyes met mine with a defiance that sent a chill down my spine.

"Thaumas," he said, his voice strained. "What is this about?"

I took a deep breath, forcing myself to stay calm. "You know what this is about, Tharos. We were ambushed. Someone tipped off the traitors. I need to know if it was you."

His eyes narrowed, a flash of anger crossing his face. "You think I would betray my brother? My family?"

I searched his face for any sign of deception, any crack in his facade. But all I saw was the same stubborn resolve that had always defined him.

"Do you swear on our blood, on our family name, that you had no part in this?" I asked, my voice trembling with the weight of the question.

Tharos's gaze softened, a hint of sadness seeping into his expression. "I swear, Thaumas. I would never betray you."

Relief washed over me, but it was short-lived. The betrayal still hung over us, an unseen specter threatening to tear us apart. I needed to find the truth, no matter how painful it might be.

"Then help me find the traitor," I said, my voice firm. "We must stand united, now more than ever."

Tharos nodded, a determined glint in his eye. "We will. For Raptoria."

Days turned into a blur of investigations and sleepless nights. Katarina recovered quickly, her unwavering spirit a beacon of hope in the darkness. We pieced together fragments of information, following leads that seemed to lead nowhere. The traitor was elusive, slipping through our grasp like smoke.