Chapter 169. The Queen’s Gambit

Xerina’s POV

The stronghold loomed ahead, its walls towering over the chaos of battle. My breath came in ragged gasps, but I pushed forward, the heat of the fight behind me, and the icy anticipation of what lay ahead gnawing at my gut. Every step felt heavier than the last, but nothing could pull me back now. This wasn’t just about Rasmus anymore — it was about all of us, the fate of our world resting on the edge of a blade.

I could feel the darkness thickening in the air as I approached the entrance. The pull of Valeria’s magic seeped into the ground beneath my feet, a constant reminder of her power, her influence. It made my skin crawl. Every inch of me screamed to turn back, to regroup, but my resolve solidi ed with every breath. I wasn’t alone.

Luca and my father flanked me, their presence giving me the strength to push forward. We moved swiftly, silently, past the bodies of the fallen, through the gates of the stronghold that now seemed more like the ja