Chapter 23: Whispers of Allegiance

The weight of Malik’s letter pressed heavily on Laila’s mind as she stood near the grand windows of the council chamber, her gaze fixed on the distant northern mountains. The Iron Claw was growing bolder, and now their aggression on the northern border threatened to spread deeper into the kingdom. Malik's absence weighed on her, and the brewing conflict was no longer a distant threat; it was moving towards the heart of Mamlakat al-Hurriyat wa al-Ahlam.

Her griffins—Azeer, Calista, Venari, Zephyr, and Drakon—rested nearby, their forms large and powerful, as always. Azeer’s fiery feathers flickered with a soft glow, while Calista’s icy aura shimmered under the light of the chandeliers. Drakon's lightning crackled faintly along his talons, a reminder of the storm always looming.