Chapter 61. Crossroads of Blood and Code

“You’ve ignited an empire. Now you must choose which flames to feed.”

Harper’s words—“I’m not sure whose side I’m on anymore”—still rang like shrapnel in her chest as Midnight’s Forge eased into the harbor, hull barely whispering against the water. The city’s fractured skyline bled through morning mist behind them. The water was too still, too quiet—like the world was holding its breath.

At the stern, Harper stood motionless. The ribbon clasp on her wrist didn’t feel like armor anymore. It felt like a question.

Lucien’s voice broke the quiet. “Syndicate Black Tier. They’re fully active. They waited until Arthur fell, and now they’re moving.”

She didn’t turn. “So this was the plan? Wait for us to break the old system so they could offer us a poisoned crown?”

Knox stepped beside her, his hand resting gently on her shoulder. Not guiding. Just anchoring. “We knew something would rise to fill the vacuum. We just didn’t want it to be them.”

“I didn’t ex