Aria“We live.”The words are barely out of my mouth before Kael’s hand tightens around mine.Not gently or carefully, he tugs me forward with a sudden urgency that steals my breath and sends me stumbling half a step as he pulls me toward the castle doors.“Kael, ” I laugh, startled. “Where are we going?”“Home,” he says simply.The doors swing open before we reach them. Not with magic. Not with ceremony. Just… doors opening.Warm light spills out across the stone steps, and sound rushes toward us, voices, movement, life. The smell of food, smoke, and bodies packed together hits me all at once.I freeze in the doorway. The great hall is full. Not with contestants or nightmares, but people.Men and women in travel-worn clothes, warriors with dented armor, healers clutching satchels, children clinging to parents who look just as confused as they do. Creatures too, fae with dulled wings, horned beings I don’t have names for, shifters half-shifted and blinking like they’ve just woken
Last Updated : 2025-12-29 Read more