Chapter: Chapter 65Long tables stretched under banners of Veridale and Stormhaven in the banquet hall in the royal palace, their colours forced into harmony for the night. Servants glided between nobles with trays of wine, every glass catching flame from the chandeliers overhead.Kael felt the weight of the place the moment he entered. His squad moved in behind him, close but not too close, part of the decor as much as the guards stationed at the edges.Jared walked at the front, head high, shoulders set with pride. To anyone watching, he looked born for this hall. Kael saw the strain in his jaw.Reyna leaned closer, whispering, “He’s walking like the room belongs to him.”“It nearly does,” Kael murmured back.Jared didn’t turn, but his voice reached them. “You’re both loud enough for me to hear.”Kyna smirked. “Maybe you should stop listening then.”Jared shot her a look, then returned his attention to the dais where the royals were alrea
Last Updated: 2025-12-02
Chapter: Chapter 64The training hall was empty, torches guttering low against the stone. Kael stood in the centre, jacket discarded, shirt clinging with sweat. His sword lay untouched on the bench; this wasn’t about steel. It hadn’t been about steel for a long time now. This was about something deeper, something that didn’t fit into human hands or human rules.He closed his eyes, letting the silence thicken until it pressed against his eardrums. He could hear his heartbeat like a fist knocking from inside his ribs.The Rift. The hum beneath the skin. The pressure waiting to split him open.He exhaled, slow, like he was trying to breathe around a blade. His fingers twitched, and the air wavered with a soft distortion, a shimmer like heat rising off metal.“You’re doing it again.”Kael’s eyes snapped open. Reyna leaned in the doorway, arms folded, hair tied back but still wild enough to catch the torchlight. Her expression was the same mixture she always wore
Last Updated: 2025-12-02
Chapter: Chapter 63The Academy council chamber was quiet except for the sound of rain on high windows. Torches burned low, shadows long across the stone floor.Darius stood at the centre. His cloak was still damp from travel, boots streaked with mud. Before him sat Archon, hands folded, face unreadable.“You’ve been gone three nights,” Archon said. “And you return with rumours.”“They’re more than rumours,” Darius replied. “My squad intercepted a courier. Stormhaven markings. Official. And a meeting with rebels, witnessed in full view.”Archon tilted his head. “Witnessed. But not recorded.”“Crates, sigils, steel. Stormhaven issue.”“Stolen, perhaps.”“No,” Darius said firmly. “The weapons were intact. Crates marked and sealed. This wasn’t theft. It was shipment.”Archon’s mouth twitched, almost a smile. “And you want me to act on this?”“I want you to recognise it for what it is. Stormhaven is feeding the rebellion.”
Last Updated: 2025-12-01
Chapter: Chapter 62The night was windless, the air sharp with smoke from distant chimneys. Kael’s squad moved through the eastern quarter of Veridale, cloaks drawn tight, boots muffled against dirt alleys.Jared muttered, “Lovely assignment. Crawl through the gutters after whispers.”Reyna’s voice was flat. “Keep quiet or I’ll make you.”Kyna smirked. “I’d pay to see that.”“Focus,” Kael said softly, scanning the alley. The walls loomed high on either side, the lamps above them smothered with soot. “Voices carry here.”Jared huffed. “Not that anyone’s awake to hear.”“Someone is,” Reyna replied. “And if they’re who we think, they’ll hear everything.”They passed a row of boarded doors, puddles glinting under weak starlight. The silence thickened, the city’s heartbeat distant.Kyna murmured, “You sure your informant wasn’t feeding us another ghost trail?”Kael didn’t answer at first. His eyes traced the faint scuff marks a
Last Updated: 2025-12-01
Chapter: Chapter 61The library’s back hall smelled of dust and ink, lanterns guttering faintly. Kael sat with an open tome before him, though his eyes hadn’t moved across the page in minutes.A voice cut the silence.“You read like someone waiting for a knife.”Kael turned. Kyna leaned against the stone pillar, arms crossed, a small smirk hiding sharp eyes.“You shouldn’t sneak up on people,” Kael said.“You shouldn’t look so easy to sneak up on.” She stepped closer, lowering her voice. “We need to talk.”Kael closed the book. “About Jared?”“Not this time.” Her tone shifted to serious. “About Archon.”Kael frowned. “What about him?”Kyna glanced around, then sat opposite him. “You think Jared’s the problem. He’s only half of it. Archon is the other half.”Kael studied her. “That’s a big claim.”“It’s not a claim.” She leaned in. “It’s a warning.”Kael arched a brow. “You’re starting with warnings now? That’s unlike you.”“I’ve learned to pick my moments,” she replied coolly. “And this one’s worth your
Last Updated: 2025-11-30
Chapter: Chapter 60Chapter 60 The night after the cipher discovery pressed down like a weight. Kael sat in the barracks long after the others slept, journal open but words refusing to come. The parchment copy of the coded message lay folded under his cloak, heavy as stone.Reyna found him there, candle guttering low.“You’re still awake,” she said quietly.Kael didn’t look up. “So are you.”She moved closer, sitting across from him at the narrow table. “Because I know that look. You’re circling the same thought over and over.”Kael shut the journal. “I should confront Jared.”Reyna’s brows lifted. “And then what? He’ll deny it again. Or worse.”“He’s lying,” Kael said, voice flat. “Every word he speaks bends around the truth.”Reyna crossed her arms. “He bends words because that’s what nobles are trained to do. Doesn’t mean they’re poison.”Kael frowned. “You didn’t see his face when I mentioned the crest.”“I saw it,” she said softly. “And I saw yours. You looked ready to run him through.”Kael’s voic
Last Updated: 2025-11-30
