Barbarian: Chapter twenty four

The citadel had changed. Or maybe it hadn’t, and Caierre was just noticing the shadows differently. Every corridor, every whisper, every glance felt heavier now, like the world outside his room had shifted on some unseen axis. He could feel it in the air: the council was plotting, Esmeralda was scheming, and somewhere beneath it all, the wolves—his and Alvar’s—were coiling, waiting.

He sat at the edge of the bed, hands clasped together, feeling the tremor of adrenaline that hadn’t left him since the confrontation yesterday. Alvar was beside him, leaning against the wall, arms crossed, eyes sharp, ever-watchful. The calm before the next storm.

“They’re moving,” Alvar said quietly, voice low, a growl barely restrained. He didn’t need to elaborate. Caierre could feel it: the tension vibrating in the hallways, the subtle hum of preparation that meant danger was coming.

“How do you know?” Caierre asked softly, trying not to betray the trembling in his hands.

Alvar’s silver gaze met his, an