Chapter 390. Happy Now?

By the time Ann arrived back at the palace grounds, the change was already noticeable.

Where runners once carried petitions and crates of supplies, the grounds were now filled with weapons and voices rough from command drills. The clang of weapons hitting shields mixed with wolves howling in cadence with chants that beat time for sparring pairs. Even the flagstones echoed the vibrations of the rhythm of marching boots.

Adam had thrown the switch on the war machine, and nothing was stopping it now it had started.

Ann walked the length of the outer yard with Coral at her side, passing three lines of recruits locked in formation. Commanders barked orders, drilling them to close gaps, shift ranks, and hold. Spears clattered in unison. Shields locked. The sound was relentless.

“Feels like even the air is joining in with the drills,” Coral muttered.

“That’s the point.” Ann grinned, “I want anyone watching, from within the palace or from outside, to see that w