The next morning, Deborah woke to the sound of rain tapping against the windows of her office. The fortress had a strange hush to it, almost as if it were holding its breath, waiting for something to happen. Outside, the courtyard glistened with wet stone, and the normally vibrant greenery of the grounds drooped under the weight of the storm. Inside, the atmosphere was equally tense, though quieter in a different way, the calm before the storm that she knew was coming.Deborah spent the first hour reviewing reports from the previous day, cross-referencing movements of the younger brothers, council members, and their contacts outside the fortress. Patterns were forming, subtle but deliberate: small transfers of funds, coded messages, and unaccountable changes in personnel schedules. Each anomaly was like a whisper of intent, something that could explode into chaos if not contained.Aston entered, drenched from the rain, brushing water off his shoulders. “I swear,” he muttered, “if Cael
Last Updated : 2026-03-24 Read more