Sophia pressed her bandaged palm to the table, feeling the faint pulse of gold and crimson beneath the stone floor. “Then we guide. Not by force, not by fear, but by example. We show the city that memory is stronger than division. That hope is stronger than chains.”---By mid-afternoon, emissaries
Chapter 191: Ripples Through StonesThe morning after the Monument’s judgment arrived like a slow tremor through La Paz. The council chambers were tense, filled with whispers sharp as broken glass. Servants and scribes moved nervously, scurrying to record every reaction, every decision, as the city
Chapter 190: The Council’s ChainsThe Monument’s final pulse still lingered in the marrow of the city when the council summoned Sophia and her caravan back into the chamber. Guards flanked the hallways, their spears gleaming in torchlight, their faces pale with unease. Outside, La Paz had not slept.
Chapter 189: Fractures Beneath the StoneThe dawn after Sophia’s vigil at the Monument broke unevenly across La Paz. The air was sharp and thin, tinged with the scent of woodsmoke drifting down from the high terraces. Citizens moved cautiously through the streets, glancing toward the Monument as tho
Chapter 188: Whispers Across the LatticeThe high valleys of La Paz were colder than Medellín had ever been. Snow still clung to the peaks, and the lattice ran thin over the city, whispering faintly with every gust of wind. Sophia’s caravan arrived at the outskirts before dawn, the chill cutting thr
Sophia stepped forward, kneeling to the boy. “Where?”“The southern gate,” he stammered. “They said the fire must be fed.”Sophia looked to her companions. “We can’t ignore this.”Raven snarled, “If you walk into their fire, they’ll burn you too.”“Then they’ll see me burn,” Sophia said, voice stead