All Chapters of The Last Blackblood Luna: Chapter 41 - Chapter 49

Chapter 42: The DawnNadia's POV The frozen wilderness was merely the facade to the true horrors which were House Vaelen's empire. Four concealed labour camps had been established within the jagged ravines of the Frost-Tooth Range, where pureblood captives and political dissidents had been working relentlessly in the smelting yards which supplied the black-iron forges."The main keep of the Iron-Spire has surrendered," Valerius announced, taking up position beside us on the snowy overlook. His armour bore the telltale dust of the collapse of the subterranean stronghold, but otherwise it seemed his outlook had lightened considerably for the first time in what felt like a fortnight. "When the ancestral beast dissolved and the upper fortress cracked, Duke Vaelen's remaining commanders had discarded their weapons, but the guards at the east labour camps have as yet received the news. If the guards discover the stronghold is lost, they will likely seek to eradicate the incriminating evid

Chapter 44: The Roots of HealingNadia's P.O.VThe shelves of cedar lined the room, replacing the previous High Secretariat ledgers and false death certificates with dozens of shiny shelves. Silver root powder, moonflower petal tinctures and bark concentrates were stored inside glass jars. Each jar was clearly marked with Citadel symbols and old Blackblood runes.This was the Central Apothecary of the Citadel. The heart of the new network connecting the four border outposts."The western valley shipment has come in, my lady!" little Kael announced, climbing up the stone steps, his cheeks flushed pink. The ten-year-old pureblood had been rescued from the quarry chains at the Iron-Spire three weeks ago. He wore a clean grey wool tunic with a silver leaf brooch pinned to his lapel. His arms were full of wooden crates, filled with fresh, dewy leaves. "The scouts from master Valerius found three bunches of blue thistle before the morning frost got to them."Kael grinned, and I smiled back

Chapter 46: The Salt in the HarvestNadia's POVI stood on the stone inspection platform, holding a handful of wheat that felt light, hollow, and coated in a thin layer of grey dust. Next to me, Master Garet—the Citadel’s chief quartermaster—was wringing his hands so tightly his knuckles were white."It’s not just this granary, Lady Nadia," Garet stammered, his voice echoing nervously against the high brick arches. "The southern supply wagons from the Sun-Gorge have stopped coming altogether. Three merchant caravans turned back at the border river yesterday. The southern lords aren't paying their royal grain taxes, and they've closed the shipping ports at Oakhaven."I let the ruined wheat fall back into the barrel, dusting my hands on my apron. My chest felt tight, not from fear, but from the sudden, heavy realisation of what this meant. Corinna wasn't just a tyrant; she was a business partner to the wealthiest merchant families in the south. Stripping her of her rank and dissolving

Chapter 48: The Ash and the SoilNadia's POV My hands were stained dark brown. Not by ink or blood, but by the crushed paste of the dried elder bark and wild willow roots I had been making salves with for the last two hours. My fingers were stiff and sore from the damp cold air.On the other side of the small fire, Lyra sat against the rough granite wall.He hadn’t taken his dark leather brigandine off but had loosened his sword belt. His broadsword rested across his knees. In his grip was a small whetting stone as he slowly dragged it along the length of his blade.The repetitive noise was calm and steady, but when I looked into his mind through the mate bond, I could feel the storm raging inside of him. The golden glow that normally shimmered between us was jagged and dark. He had a dense, simmering rage bubbling within him since crossing the Southern border post."You’ll see that blade right down to a needle if you keep that up," I sighed, placing my clay pot onto a flat stone.T