The Shattered Oath Part 2

The journey beyond the city was a gauntlet of unseen threats. Vaelin and Elira rode hard through the storm-lashed countryside, following the path Garran had scrawled on a torn parchment before the Vowbound attacked. Each mile carried them deeper into the unknown, and further from the kingdom’s reach.

Elira clutched the silver-marked dagger as if it were a key to a hidden truth. “The lost city—do you truly think it exists?”

Vaelin glanced at her, rain running down his face. “It has to. If the Oathsworn believe I’m tied to their betrayal, then the only way to understand why is to find the past they were sworn to protect.”

Nightfall found them at the edge of the Wraithwood, a cursed expanse where travelers disappeared without a trace. But the parchment map was clear—this was the path to the ruins of Kaelaros, the city swallowed by time. As they entered the forest, the air thickened with an unnatural silence, the kind that whispered of watching eyes.

They weren’t alone.

The first attack came as a blur of motion. Elira barely managed to react before an arrow whistled past, embedding itself in a tree trunk inches from her head. Vaelin spun, his sword flashing as a hooded figure lunged from the shadows, curved daggers slicing through the rain-drenched air. He blocked the first strike, twisting his blade to force his attacker back.

More emerged—silent, swift, their weapons bearing the same ancient markings as the assassin from the inn. The Oathsworn had found them.

Elira didn’t hesitate. Power surged through her veins, and with a thrust of her hand, a pulse of Veil energy erupted, sending one of their attackers sprawling. Vaelin moved in tandem with her, weaving through the fight with brutal efficiency. The clash of steel and the pulse of magic shattered the eerie quiet of the Wraithwood.

Then came a voice, calm amidst the chaos. “Enough.”

The attackers froze. A woman stepped forward from the shadows, her silver-lined cloak flowing behind her. She bore no weapon, only the weight of command in her piercing gaze. “You are Vaelin Kaelvar,” she said, voice steady. “And you walk a path not meant for you.”

Vaelin kept his sword raised. “Who are you?”

The woman placed a hand over her chest in an ancient gesture. “I am Nyara of the Oathsworn. We do not seek your death—we seek to know why the blood of our enemies runs in your veins.”

Elira stepped forward, magic still humming at her fingertips. “And if we don’t answer?”

Nyara’s expression darkened. “Then you will not leave this forest alive.”

The silence between them was heavy, charged with unspoken history. Then, slowly, Vaelin lowered his sword. “Then let’s talk.”

Nyara nodded, and with a gesture, her warriors melted into the shadows. “Follow me.”

Through the twisting paths of the Wraithwood, Vaelin and Elira moved deeper into the unknown. The truth of the Oathsworn, the lost city, and the secret of Vaelin’s blood awaited them beyond the veil of history.

And with every step, the weight of their journey grew heavier.

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All Parts of this Series

• The Shattered Oath Part 1
• The Shattered Oath Part 2
• The Shattered Oath Part 3
• The Shattered Oath Part 4
• The Shattered Oath Part 5