FAZER LOGINAres’ POVShe was really enjoying this.That should have worried me,It did not.I watched her buckle her gear strap. Her hands were steady. No hesitation. No second thoughts.Lyra used to survive by taking a lot of hits.Then she got smarter, found ways to avoid them.Now she sees it coming.Scary.But honestly, Its beautiful.She walked across the room. The mist followed her, not being pulled, but was with her.Like it was meant to move when she moved.She did not have to force it.It just knew what to do.Like the ground had picked only her.Darric was out in the hall giving orders.Most of them were not going to work.He was talking about fallback plans.Men do that when they are scared. They talk loudly to feel important.I almost liked him for it.“She shouldn’t go alone " He said.Lyra was already down the hall.She heard him. I got it.“She is not alone " I replied.Darric frowned.This is not about guards or numbers or who has the biggest sword.This is not even war anymore.
Lyra’s POVI woke up before sunrise.I wasn't scared.I wasn't jumpy.I was sure.My eyes were open. It was like someone had a knife to my throat.It wasn't cutting, It was there, I could feel it.The room was grey. That dead hour before light.Ares was up, he was looking at me before I looked at him.“You felt it.”It wasn't a question.I sat up slowly.“Yes.”There was no point in lying, It was too loud in my skin. It was too close.It felt like someone walked barefoot over a grave that had my name on it.The mist was moving, I wasn't scared, I wasn't mad.I was awake.It came under the window, slow ropes of it and wrapped around the bedposts. It pooled at the stone.It was watching.It was waiting.It was mine.I went to the window.The mist moved for me, It split like it knew not to touch me. Outside there was nothing.Dawn wasn’t even trying yet. The grounds were quiet, They were too quiet.It was like the whole place was holding its breath.“She came in the night " I said.Ares
Serena’s POV.The runner showed up before noon, on time. He was dirty, not the dirt that makes guards suspicious.The kind they ignore.Good.I prefer smart over loyal. Loyalty gets you killed.He came in without knocking. He had already been cleared. He had already been waiting.He knelt. Pulled out a leather packet from his coat.No words.No "look what I did”.Just the packet.Even better.I said, "Well?"He kept his eyes down. "The breach was clean.”It had better be.I held out my hand.He put the packet in it, carefully.No blood on it.No tears.It looked nice.I flicked my fingers.He was gone before the door finished closing.He didn’t wait to be thanked.There was silence.Finally.I went to the desk, slowly.The seal broke easily.There was paper.Thin.Old.It was kept well on a silver archive paper. It smelled like dust and rules.As expected.I laid it out.There were birth books.Family trees.Succession notes.Private codes for who gets what when someone dies.It was t
Lyra’s POV. --- Something did not feel right. Not on a map, Not on the battlefield, It was inside me. I woke before the sun came up. My eyes were open, it was dark. My heart was beating fast like someone had shaken me awake. Ares was next to me breathing slowly. I was not sure if he was really asleep or just pretending. It is hard to tell with him. I did not move. I just looked up at the ceiling. Listened. There was nothing to hear. No sounds outside the chamber. No one was walking around the hallways. There was no sound. It was not fear though. It was a memory. The kind my body remembered when there’s danger. I sat up slowly. My hand went to my stomach. My heart was beating strongly. My shoulders relaxed a little, but not all the way. Then I heard Ares' voice. It was rough to sleep. "You are awake " he said. It was not a question. "No " That made him open his eyes. He paused for a moment. Then he smiled a little. "You usually lie better t
Kael’s POVThe castle fell wrong. It was not empty it was not quiet it just off. The walls seemed to know something that I did not. People were moving around differently now, they were being too careful. They would look down when I passed by and conversations would stop when I entered a room. It was like the whole kingdom had learned to be scared.I should have noticed this sooner.I pushed open the doors to the council room hard they hit the stone wall. Serena did not even look surprised, she just sat there one hand on the table and the other on some papers. I knew something was wrong."You started something." I did not say hello or anything.She looked up at me slowly like she was measuring me. " Evening to you too " she said. I shut the doors behind me hard. "We are at war." Something in my jaw got tight. "Does that not bother you?" She raised her eyebrows a little. "I think it should bother both of us ""No, it should bother you."Serena leaned back in her chair. "You are bein
Serena’s POVThe report came in wrong. It was too fast, out of breath, too hopeful.. When a scout is hopeful it usually means he is about to tell me something I don’t t want to hear.He knelt down which was a smart move. I told him to speak. He did not look up at me. “The fractures did not hold, my Lady." Ofcourse they did not. Not because the work was sloppy. Because she moved faster than I gave her credit for.I leaned back slowly. I let my eyes go to the map while he kept talking. "She pulled both armies together and she talked about the attacks herself in public." That was not bad. I did not say anything. I was thinking.He added, "There is a new rule now, mixed units, Lycan with Stormclaw paired, no exceptions." My fingers stopped moving for a second. That was interesting. She was not just fixing the problems she was making changes.She was pouring a foundation and that was better.. It was also annoying because it was working. The scout said "They are calling it her order now."







