Chapter 29 – Fire at the Gates

"Some battles are not won. They are survived."

Dawn broke red.

Not the kind of red that warmed fields or kissed the dew.

But red like omen.

Like the earth itself bled beneath the weight of what was coming.

From the high tower, Lyra watched the forest beyond the walls ripple like a living creature. Shadows moved between trees, no longer subtle or distant. They were close. Closer than expected.

The rogues had arrived.

Not as an army, but as a tide—flowing across the borders, silent, relentless.

Behind her, the palace bell tolled. Once. Twice. A third time.

War had begun.

Kael was already in his armor when she descended the steps, the steel molded to him like second skin. His eyes were focused, movements clean and precise. There was no hesitation in him now.

Only fire. Only readiness.