The temple district of Aethermoor had been reduced to ruins, but Veridian's private chambers remained untouched—a bubble of pristine order amid chaos. Kael walked through corridors lined with artifacts from a thousand fallen civilizations, each display case a reminder of what the god of wealth had survived by never choosing sides until victory was assured."You came alone," Veridian observed from behind a desk carved from crystallized starlight. The golden-skinned deity looked exactly as Kael remembered—beautiful in the way a blade was beautiful, all elegant lines and hidden edges. "Either very confident or very desperate.""We both know which one." Kael didn't sit, though Veridian gestured to a chair that probably cost more than most mortal kingdoms. "The Archon's consolidating power. In three days, maybe four, he'll have enough loyal forces to crush what's left of the resistance without breaking a sweat.""And you want my resources." Veridian's smile didn't reach his eyes. "My netwo

The safe house felt different in the predawn darkness. Smaller somehow, and larger at the same time—cramped with bodies and supplies, but expanded by the weight of what was about to happen.Kael had spent the last forty-eight hours in a state of constant motion: coordinating logistics, reviewing plans, speaking with allies, reassuring the frightened, and steadying the brave. Now, in the quiet hour before dawn, he finally allowed himself a moment to be still.In five hours, they would launch an attack on the most powerful being in existence. They would do it without Veridian's resources, without overwhelming force, without any real certainty that they could survive the day, let alone win the war. They would do it because the alternative was watching everything they believed in disappear into the Archon's vision of perfect order.He found himself at the small desk in the corner of his room, staring at a blank piece of paper. Ava was sleeping fitfully in the bed behind him, her rest inte