Chapter 31. After the Ashes

The quarry came down behind them.

Rusted sheds folded inward, beams snapping in showers of sparks. Fire raced across tin and timber until the whole rim groaned and collapsed into the pit. Dust and smoke rolled after them, a thunder that shook the ground even as they broke free onto the open road.

Engines screamed. Tires spat gravel. The Crownless fled in a ragged column, their bikes limping but unbroken. Riven clung to Axel’s back, her arms aching, chest burning with smoke, but she didn’t loosen her grip.

Behind, the Ravens’ roost vanished in a tide of flame. The horizon glowed blood-red, sparks spiraling into the night like fireflies. Riven twisted once to look—long enough to see black wings painted across a collapsing wall before the blaze swallowed it entire.

They’d survived. Barely.

Axel’s shoulders sagged as the road stretched black ahead, empty of headlights. He slowed, cut the throttle, and the bike coasted to a stop on the shoulder. Gravel hisse