Cece writes 의 작품

The urgent news from the east left no room for delay. Elen stood in the private chambers and delivered every detail she had been sent to carry. Something unfamiliar was moving along the eastern roads. Not Ashenveil. A different scent. A different pattern of travel. It was coming toward Nightbane land, and it was not trying very hard to hide. Aziel listened without interrupting. When she finished, he gave a short nod. “You’ll stay the night inside the walls. Eat. Rest. At first light we ride out to see the eastern approach ourselves.” Elen inclined her head. “My Alpha expected you would. I am ready to ride with you if you need another set of eyes.” “We’ll decide that before dawn,” Aziel said. “For now, get food and a place to sleep.” After she left, the chambers felt smaller. Lior remained near the table, the earlier tiredness still visible in the set of his shoulders. “We can’t ignore it,” he said. “We’re not going to,” Aziel answered. “First light. Small group. Rina and two s

The hall emptied, but the tension did not leave with the others. Aziel and Lior remained at the head table a short while longer after the last of the pack had gone. The three men who had refused to sit near Lior had already disappeared into the corridors. Sera and Tova had followed at a distance to handle the quiet reassignments. The large space felt hollow now, the smell of the meal still hanging in the air. Aziel pushed his chair back. “We’re done here. Let's go.” Lior stood without argument. They left the hall together and walked the familiar route to their private chambers. The fortress had settled into its night sounds. Distant footsteps. The low murmur of guards changing posts. Nothing loud. Nothing settled either. Inside the chambers Aziel closed the door and bolted it. A simple meal had already been left for them on the small table near the window: cold meat, bread, a wedge of cheese, and a jug of water. Nothing elaborate. Just enough. Lior sat first. He broke a piece of

Aziel and Lior left their chambers after Rina’s report and walked the short distance to the main hall. The fortress had already shifted into its night rhythm. Fires were lit. Tables were being set. The smell of roasting meat and stewed roots moved through the corridors. The confirmation that the distant howl had not come from Nightbane wolves left a thin edge under every ordinary sound. Lior stopped near the side entrance to the kitchens. “I’ll help with the portioning. Standing idle after a report like that only feeds the wrong kind of quiet.” Aziel studied him for a moment. “All right. I’ll be in the hall. Keep it short if the weight gets too heavy.” Lior gave a small nod and stepped into the heat and noise of the kitchens. Sleeves rolled up, he took a place at the long wooden table and began cutting the cooked meat into even portions. The work was simple and steady. It gave his hands something clear to do while the earlier howl and the short border fight still lingered under hi

Aziel and Lior returned to the private bathing room in silence. The short fight at the eastern border had left both of them marked. Small cuts. Bruises. Dust and dried blood clinging to skin and clothes. Aziel closed the door and began filling the large stone bath without a word. Lior pulled his shirt over his head and dropped it on the floor. “The attack was too clean. They came in fast, struck, and pulled back the moment we pushed. Ad if they only wanted to see how we would respond.” Aziel tested the water. “I noticed it. there was no real attempt to hold ground. It was just enough contact to leave a mark and leave.” They stepped into the bath together. The water turned cloudy almost at once as dirt and blood washed free. Aziel took a cloth, wet it, and began cleaning the cut along Lior’s ribs with careful strokes. “Does it hurt?” Aziel asked. “It stings,” Lior said. “nothing serious. But you took a hit to the shoulder.” “I am fine.” Aziel kept working, his movements s

Aziel and Lior sat at the long table in the side hall with the senior captains. Plates of roasted meat, bread, and stewed roots sat in front of everyone, but few people ate with real hunger. The air felt careful, as if every word might tip something over. Ysolde sat near the middle of the table, her grey-threaded hair pulled back and her hands folded near her plate. She had spent the morning walking the lower halls, listening for the kind of rumors that spread after a tense gathering. Beside her sat Tova, younger but just as ranked, her posture alert even while seated. She had already reviewed the outer patrol lists before coming to the meal. Aziel broke a piece of bread and spoke first. “We meet the visitor at dawn. Limited people in the room. Rina and Sera outside. I want clear eyes on him the whole time.” Ysolde nodded. “That’s wise, Alpha. I walked the lower halls after last night’s gathering. The rumors are already moving. Some of the younger ones are questioning why we a

The tension from the hall followed them all the way to their chambers. Aziel closed the door behind them and let out a slow breath. The quiet of the private rooms felt heavy after the packed gathering. Lior walked straight toward the bathing room without speaking. His shoulders were still tight, the same way they had been from the moment the visitor first spoke. Aziel followed him. “You’re still on edge.” Lior began stripping off his clothes. “That man unsettled me the second I heard his voice. I don’t trust the word peace coming from his mouth.” Aziel started the water and tested the temperature with his hand. “Then we talk it through properly. Come. The water will help clear your head.” They stepped into the large stone bath together. Steam rose around them as the heat sank into their skin. For a while neither spoke. The only sounds were the soft movement of water and the distant noises of the fortress settling for the night. Aziel reached for a cloth and began washing