Chapter 112 – The Duel in FirelightThe flames clawed skyward, turning the square into a furnace. Shadows twisted across scorched stone, and amidst them, two figures faced one another: Solenne on the temple steps, and Revnar striding forward, blade in hand, his crimson cloak billowing like a banner of war.“Pretender,” he spat, pointing his sword at her heart. “I’ll carve the lie out of you before these people’s eyes.”Solenne steadied herself against Mira’s shoulder, then stepped forward alone. She trembled, but her voice cut through the roar of fire and panic.“I don’t need to defeat you, Revnar. I only need to show them who you are.”Revnar’s sneer was answer enough. He lunged.Mira IntervenesSteel shrieked as Mira blocked the first blow, her blades flashing. Sparks burst where sword met steel. Revnar’s strength drove her back across the stone, but she twisted, kicked, and forced him to stumble.“You’ll have to go through me first,” she growled.Revnar laughed, savage and raw. “Gl

Chapter 114 – The Envoy with Black RibbonsThe gates of Calvess had not opened since the fire, but on the third morning after, horns sounded from the walls. A rider approached along the northern road—not an army, but a single figure draped in black ribbons that fluttered like dying flames.The people gathered at the battlements, whispering. Some expected another zealot, others a trap. Solenne, pale but upright, came to the wall with Mira and Kai at her side.The rider halted just short of the gate. He removed his helm to reveal a sharp-featured man with eyes too calm for someone beneath so many bows. He raised a gloved hand.“I come not with sword, but with words.” His voice carried, smooth and cold. “Open, and hear the will of those who stand beyond your borders.”Mira muttered, “Sounds like he wants us to let the wolf into the barn.”Solenne’s knuckles whitened around her staff. “Open the gates.”The Meeting in the SquareThe envoy was led not to the council hall but to the same squ

Chapter 116 – The Splintering Inside The great hall of Calvess had once been a place of laughter and feasting. Its long oaken tables had borne roasted boar, golden breads, and wines so sweet that bards wrote songs about them. But now the air inside was thick with the sour stench of sweat, unwashed armor, and the low hum of desperation.The torches guttered in their sconces, throwing uneasy shadows across the council chamber. At the high table, Lady Solenne sat rigid, her face pale but her eyes sharp as steel. Across from her, Captain Bram leaned forward, fists pressed against the table as if he could hold the city together through force alone.“We cannot ration further,” Bram roared, his voice echoing against the stone walls. “The men already march on half-bellies! They falter at their posts, and a soldier who cannot lift his spear is worse than useless!”“And yet we cannot conjure bread from air!” Solenne shot back, her hands gripping the edge of the table until her knuckles whitene

Chapter 118 – The Enemy WatchesBeyond the walls of Calvess, the night was alive with firelight. Thousands of torches ringed the city like a crown of burning thorns, their smoke rising into the cold sky. The besieging camp was vast, stretching across the hills and valleys, a sea of tents and banners fluttering in the wind.At the heart of it all stood the pavilion of General Kael Varros, commander of the Iron Host. His tent was a fortress of scarlet silk and black iron poles, guarded by soldiers with masks of beaten bronze. Inside, a long table was spread with maps, candles, and the half-eaten remains of a roasted boar.Kael Varros himself leaned over the table, his gauntleted fingers tracing the outline of Calvess’s walls. He was a man carved from war—his face pitted with old scars, one eye clouded white, the other sharp and burning with ambition.Around him stood his lieutenants:Serra the Whisperer, thin and pale, draped in dark robes, her voice barely more than a hiss.Druven Iron

.Chapter 120 – Sparks in the DarkThe streets of Calvess burned with torchlight that night—not from the enemy outside the walls, but from its own people. The unrest that had begun as whispers in the council chamber had erupted into something sharper, louder, and far more dangerous.Shouts echoed through the alleys:“Free Bram!”“Down with the council!”“Open the gates before we starve!”A mob surged through the market square, overturning carts and shattering windows. Merchants cowered in their homes. The city watch tried to form lines, but their numbers were thin, and many still bore loyalty to the very man now chained in the dungeons below.From the battlements, Mira watched the chaos unfold, her fists clenched white around the stone railing. “It’s begun,” she muttered.Theo stood beside her, the din of the city rumbling in his chest like distant thunder. “But they’re our people. We can’t just…” His voice trailed off, unsure how to even finish the thought.Solenne swept onto the wal