Kara-Shahar appeared on the horizon by midday.
The city lay in a low basin, ringed by adobe walls that were crumbling in places. A thick haze of smoke hung over it—hundreds of cookfires, thousands of people. Even from the hilltop, it was clear the city was alive with frantic energy. Inside the walls, figures swarmed like ants in a kicked-over anthill. Refugee camps sprawled beyond the outer defenses, and from there rose a constant roar: voices shouting, metal clanging, horses whinnying.
Amanda stared at the city, and something heavy and dark twisted in her chest. She knew who was waiting for her inside—if it was truly him. She had known it since the day she fled the village while he stayed behind to cover her escape. She had known it every night when she closed her eyes and saw his face—twisted with fury, streaked with blood, screaming: “RUN, AMANDA!”
She had run.
He had stayed.
And now he was here. The leader of the rebellion. The man the khan’s dogs were hunting. The one they both feared and revered.
“There it is,” Mia said, riding up beside her. Her voice was calm, but Amanda could feel the tension coiled in the other woman’s body. Her tail had gone still, ears pricked forward. “Kara-Shahar. Your Kaelan is in there.”
“Torglin,” Amanda whispered.
“I’m here, girl.”
“He’s inside,” she said. “Somewhere in there.”
“Are you ready?”
Amanda didn’t answer.
“Torglin,” she said after a long silence. “What if he… what if he cries?”
The dwarf was quiet for a moment.
“What if I can’t handle his tears?”
“Girl,” the dwarf’s voice softened. “You told me the story yourself. He cut off a khan’s tax collector’s hand to protect you. He burned his own life away so you could run. If he cries, those will be tears of joy. And you’ll handle them. Because you’re strong.”
Amanda gripped the reins tighter.
“Let’s go.”
The gates of Kara-Shahar stood wide open.
Armed men guarded them—former slaves, judging by their ragged clothes and the scars that covered their bodies. When the beastfolk detachment appeared at the entrance, the guards immediately tensed. Some grabbed for their weapons, others dashed inside to report.
“Stay here,” Mia ordered her warriors. “The Reaper and I will go in first.”
Amanda dismounted and stepped through the gates. Mia walked beside her, one hand resting on the hilt of her sword, eyes constantly scanning the streets.
“You’re tense,” Mia noted.
“Just tired from the road.”
“You’re lying,” she smirked, but didn’t press further. “It’s fine. I’m right here with you.”
Kaelan was waiting for them in a large house in the center of the city—the former khan’s mansion, now turned into a command headquarters.
He sat behind a table buried under maps and lists. When they entered, he raised his head. It was the first time Amanda had seen him since that day.
He had changed. Grown harder. Tougher. Scars crisscrossed his face, and his hands were stained with old blood that no amount of scrubbing could ever remove. But his eyes—his eyes were still the same. Warm, even when they looked cold. The very same eyes that had looked at her that day as he screamed: “RUN!”
“Reaper,” he said, rising to his feet. His voice was low and hoarse. “I’ve heard of you. The one who cuts down enemies with a single swing of the blade. The one who brought the Forest Clan here.”
“You heard correctly,” Amanda replied, her voice cold and metallic.
Beneath the helmet, her heart was hammering so violently she thought it might burst out of her chest.
He stared at her for a long moment. Intently. Amanda could feel his gaze piercing through the red lenses of her visor.
“Your warriors will be quartered in the southern district,” Kaelan said, turning away. “Food and water have already been prepared for them. Tomorrow we’ll discuss our plans. Rest for today.”
“I’d like to speak with you alone,” Amanda said.
Kaelan froze. He turned around.
“About what?”
“About your sister.”
The silence became absolute.
Mia, standing nearby, tensed. Her tail went completely still, and her ears flattened against her head.
“What do you know about his sister?” Mia asked, a sharp metallic edge creeping into her voice.
“That’s not your concern,” Amanda replied, not even looking at her.
“I’m your wife,” Mia stepped forward. “Everything you do is my concern.”
Amanda stayed silent. There was no point in arguing.
Kaelan’s gaze shifted between Mia and Amanda. His face hardened.
“Reaper,” he said. “Speak in front of her. Or don’t speak at all.”
“I can’t,” Amanda answered. “What I have to say is for you alone.”
Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.
“Then I won’t listen,” Kaelan crossed his arms over his chest. “I don’t play games with secrets.”
Amanda looked at him through the red lenses of her helmet. Then she turned her gaze to Mia.
“Mia,” she said. “Leave.”
“No,” Mia insisted stubbornly. “I’m not going anywhere. You’re mine. I have the right to know.”
“You have the right to know what concerns us,” Amanda’s voice turned ice-cold. “This doesn’t concern us. This concerns him. And his sister.”
“She’s dead,” Kaelan said hoarsely. “What could you possibly know about her?”
Amanda turned to face him directly.
“I know her name,” she said quietly. “I know the color of her hair. I know she was terrified of thunderstorms and would run to you whenever our parents fought.”
Kaelan went pale.
“I know,” Amanda continued, her voice dropping to a near whisper, “that on the day the khan’s tax collectors came, you stood in the doorway with an axe. I know you hacked off the noyons hand when he reached for your sister. I know you shouted at her: ‘RUN, AMANDA!’ — and she ran. You stayed behind.”
Kaelan took a step back. The hand resting on the table began to tremble.
“No one knows that,” he whispered. “Only me. And her. Because everyone else died that day — even our parents.”
“She didn’t die,” Amanda said, her voice unsteady. Tears welled up beneath her helmet when she heard about her parents’ death. “She survived.”
The silence grew thick and heavy. Mia stared at Amanda, a storm of emotions swirling in her eyes — disbelief, jealousy, and horror.
“What the hell are you talking about?” Mia demanded. “How could she be alive? You—”
“Leave, Mia,” Amanda’s voice turned firm. “Please.”
“No!” Mia stepped toward Kaelan. “Did you hear that? He says your sister is alive! How could he possibly know that? Where would he get that from?”
Kaelan was staring at Amanda now. Something burned in his dark eyes — hope, fear, disbelief.
“Reaper,” he said, his voice low and dangerous. “If you’re lying…”
“I’m not lying,” Amanda cut him off. “Your sister is alive. I know where she is.”
“Where?” Kaelan stepped forward, his voice urgent. “Where is she, Reaper?”
“Here,” Amanda said softly. “She’s right here, Kaelan.”
Kaelan froze.
Mia froze as well.
“What do you mean ‘here’?” Mia whispered.
Amanda turned to her.
“Leave,” she said. “Please. I’m begging you.”
“No,” Mia shook her head, tears glistening in her eyes. “You can’t do this to me. I followed you. I’m here with you. And now you’re pushing me away?”
“Mia…”
“No!” She shook her head fiercely. “I’m not leaving!”
Kaelan strode to the door and flung it open.
“Guards!” he shouted.
Two warriors entered.
“Escort our guest away from here,” he ordered. “Make sure she doesn’t come back for now.”
“What?” Mia recoiled. “You wouldn’t dare!”
“I am the leader of this city,” Kaelan’s voice was like iron. “I dare whatever I want.”
The warriors took Mia by the arms. She struggled, screamed, and clawed at them, but they were far stronger.
“Reaper!” she cried as they dragged her toward the door. “You’ll regret this! You’ll regret this!”
The door slammed shut. Her shouts faded into the distance.
Amanda was left alone with Kaelan.
He stood leaning against the table, staring at her. His eyes were filled with a turbulent mix of hope and fear.
“Speak,” he said hoarsely. “Where is my sister? And how do you know things that only she knew?”
Amanda took a step forward. Then another.
“Your sister,” she said, “is right here.”
She raised her hands to her helmet. Her fingers were trembling.
“She’s looking at you.”
She unfastened the clasps and removed the helmet.
Golden hair spilled over her shoulders. Ruby eyes gazed at her brother.
Kaelan froze.
Time itself seemed to stop.
He stared at her — at that hair, those eyes, at the face that had grown older and harder. He didn’t recognize it at first. He remembered a little girl, but standing before him was a woman.
But the eyes… those eyes he remembered.
“Amanda?” he whispered. “Amanda?”
“It’s me,” she said softly. “I’m alive, Kaelan.”
He kept staring. Searching. And then — he understood.
Not by her features, but by the way she stood, the way she looked at him, the way her lips trembled.
“Amanda,” he stepped toward her. “Amanda!”
He pulled her into his arms. Hard. So hard that her armor creaked.
“You’re alive,” he repeated. “You’re alive. I thought… I thought you were dead.”
“I thought you were dead too,” she said, pressing her face into his chest. “I ran. I hid. I didn’t know…”
“You did everything you could,” he pulled back slightly, looking into her eyes. “You survived. That’s what matters.”
A tear ran down his cheek. He wiped it away with the back of his hand, but more kept falling.
“You idiot,” he said, smiling through the tears. “You’re such an idiot, Amanda.”
“I know,” she cried, smiling back. “I know, brother.”
He hugged her again. They stood like that for a long time, holding each other until the tears finally ran dry.
When they finally pulled apart, Kaelan didn’t let her go. He kept his hands on her shoulders, searching her eyes, his face a mixture of bewilderment and shock.
“You…” He faltered. “You’re wearing armor. You carry a sword. They call you the Reaper. They say you kill men with a single swing.”
He shook his head, still unable to believe what he was seeing.
“Amanda, you couldn’t even slaughter a chicken without crying. You were terrified of thunderstorms. You used to run into my room whenever our parents argued. And now…”
He trailed off, at a loss for words.
“The world changes people, brother,” she said quietly. “Especially when you have to survive it alone.”
“Alone?” His voice cracked. “You weren’t alone. I looked for you. I—”
“I didn’t know,” she interrupted. “I thought you were dead. I ran and never looked back. I hid. And when I stopped hiding… I became whoever I needed to be to survive.”
Kaelan stared at her. Then his gaze shifted to the door through which Mia had just been dragged away.
“And that… girl,” he said, searching for the right word. “That wolf girl. She called you her husband.”
Amanda let out a heavy sigh.
“It’s a long story.”
“We have time,” his voice hardened. “Explain.”
Amanda stayed silent for a moment.
“I saved her. And her people. In the steppe, when the khan’s dogs attacked them. Her father is the chief of the Forest Clan. According to their customs, if a warrior saves the chief’s life, he becomes a brother of the clan. But if he saves the chief’s daughter…”
“What?” Kaelan frowned.
“She declared a duel for her hand,” Amanda said. “I didn’t know. I thought I was fighting for the right to leave. I won. And they declared me her husband.”
Kaelan blinked. Then blinked again.
“They… married you to a wolf girl?”
“Pretty much.”
“And you didn’t tell them that you…” He trailed off, unsure how to ask.
“That I’m a woman?” Amanda finished. “No. I didn’t. Because then they would have asked why a woman was wearing men’s armor and hiding her face. And then they would have asked who I really was. And then…”
She fell silent.
“And then they would have killed me,” she said. “Or made me a slave. Or worse. I couldn’t take the risk.”
Kaelan looked at her for a long time. Then he shook his head.
“You… you’re not the person you used to be.”
“No,” she agreed. “I’m not.”
“So what now?” he asked. “You’re just going to keep pretending to be the wolf girl’s husband? Until… until when?”
“Until the war is over,” Amanda said. “Until we win. And then… then I’ll take off the helmet. And I’ll tell the truth. To everyone.”
Kaelan was quiet. Then he gave a bitter little smile. The confusion had left his eyes, replaced by weariness and deep affection.
“You were always stubborn,” he said.
He pulled her into another hug — short and brotherly this time.
“Alright,” he said. “You’re the Reaper. You’re a warrior. You’re someone’s husband. I don’t understand how any of this happened, but… you’re my sister. And I’m with you. No matter what.”
“Thank you, brother.”
He stepped back and glanced at the door.
“That wolf girl…” he lowered his voice. “Do you… love her?”
Amanda froze.
“No,” she answered honestly. “But I’ll tell you one thing. She… she accepted me. Without knowing who I really am. She believes in the Reaper. She’s ready to die for me. And I… I don’t want to lose her. She’s like a little sister to me.”
“But you can’t tell her the truth.”
“Not yet.”
Kaelan sighed.
“You’re in deep, little sister.”
“I know.”
He clapped her on the shoulder.
“Then go. Go calm your… wife. We’ll talk tomorrow. About the war. And about what comes next.”
Amanda nodded and headed for the door.
“Amanda,” he called after her.
She turned.
“I’m glad you’re alive,” he said. “Even in armor. Even with a sword. Even… even if you’re someone’s husband.”
She smiled.
“I’m glad you’re alive too, brother.”
She stepped out.