Semua Bab The Rejected Luna’s Secret Crown: Bab 31 - Bab 40

The Great River was less a body of water and more a wound in the earth. It was black, churning, and wider than a football field, separating Onyx City’s territory from the wilder Western lands.We crouched in the reeds on the muddy bank, looking upriver.About a mile away, the only bridge spanned the gap. Floodlights illuminated it. Even from here, I could see the glint of Council Enforcer armor patrolling the span."Bridge is a kill box," Jinx whispered, lowering her digital binoculars. "They have thermal scanners and a mage unit stationed at the midpoint. If we step foot on that concrete, we’re dust.""So we go under," Ashren said, eyeing the rushing water."In that?" Jinx looked at him like he was insane. "That water is snowmelt from the peaks. It’s near freezing. And it’s charged with run-off magic from the city. It acts like a battery drain. It’ll suck the heat right out of your bones.""We don't have a choice," I said, shivering in Ashren’s tuxedo jacket. My teeth were already ch

The airstrip was a ghost of the old world.Located in a valley carved by glacial runoff, it was a stretch of cracked concrete reclaimed by weeds and rust. The skeleton of an old hangar loomed in the fog, its metal roof groaning in the dawn wind."Coordinates match," Jinx whispered, checking her wrist-comp. She was lying prone on a ridge overlooking the runway, her sniper rifle set up on a bipod. "0600 hours. The bird should be here in two minutes."Ashren and I crouched behind a rusted fuel tank near the tarmac. The cold morning air was biting, but Ashren’s body heat radiated through the mechanic’s jumpsuit, keeping me grounded."Do you hear that?" Ashren asked, his ears twitching.I listened. Low, distant thrumming."The plane?""No," Ashren said, his face hardening. "Engines. Diesel. Ground vehicles."He pointed to the service road that wound down the valley wall. Through the fog, I saw the twin beams of headlights. Then another pair. Then a third."Company!" Jinx hissed over the co

The dining hall of the Aurelian Palace was designed to intimidate, but not with shadows. It used light.The walls were lined with polished gold mirrors that reflected the hundreds of candles burning in the chandeliers. The floor was white marble, pristine and cold. At the head of the massive table sat King Solas.He was a lion of a man. His hair was a mane of white-gold, his skin deeply tanned and weathered like old leather. He wore robes of saffron silk that barely contained his massive shoulders. He didn't look up when the doors opened. He was busy tearing meat off a bone with a silver knife."Sit," Solas grunted, gesturing with the knife to the chairs opposite him.Kaelen slid into a seat to his father's right, looking relaxed. I took the seat directly across from the king. Ashren sat beside me, his posture rigid, his eyes scanning the room for threats."So," Solas said, chewing thoughtfully. "This is the Queen of Ashes. You look smaller than the stories say.""I am compact, Your M

The walk to the Throne Room felt less like a return and more like a march to the gallows.Captain Vane had escorted us from the docks with a squad of Sunburst Elites. He hadn't bothered to hide his smirk. He had radioed ahead. He had told Solas that the "Queen of Ashes" was nothing more than a soft-hearted girl who collected strays.Ashren walked beside me, his hand hovering near the small of my back, a grounding touch."Stick to the script," he murmured as we reached the golden doors. "You are the General. They are the asset. If you waver, he eats us.""I know," I whispered, straightening my spine. I smoothed the front of my crimson tunic. "I just hope he’s hungry for intel, not blood."The doo

The Grand Arena of the Aurelian Citadel was a blinding bowl of white marble and yellow sand.Fifty thousand spectators filled the stands. They weren't cheering for an underdog story; they were cheering for a massacre. They had come to watch their golden-armored Elites dismantle a ragtag group of Northern "rats."King Solas sat in the Royal Box, drinking wine from a jeweled goblet. Prince Kaelen sat beside him, looking bored, though I noticed his knuckles were white as he gripped the armrest.I stood in the staging tunnel with my army.Two hundred refugees. They wore mismatched leather armor scavenged from the island ruins. Their faces were painted with mud and ash. They held wooden clubs, slingshots, and bags of Mara’s chemical grenades.Opposite us, across the expanse of sand and artificial ruins, stood Captain Vane’s unit. Fifty Sunburst Elites in gleaming plate armor, holding solar-charged staffs that hummed with lethal heat."Remember the plan," I whispered to the corporal. "We do