Chapter 47. The War of Two Cities

It all began with a wind that felt wrong from the first whisper—a wind so hot and dry that it seemed to have skipped across every living thing for centuries, gathering a scorched scent of shadow and something older still, as if time itself were leaning in to breathe a secret just out of reach. The air outside the fortress walls wavered in waves of heat, carrying dust that stung the throat and curled through the corridors like a living thing eager for a confession.

Inside Kai’s private chambers, Lora lay draped in a single, almost translucent sheet, her limbs heavy as though they’d been dipped in lead the moment the spiral at her chest had ignited. She hadn’t managed a moment’s sleep since the council meeting ended in flames, but her body had at least ceased its trembling. Against her ribcage, the glowing mark pulsed faintly, a steady heartbeat of warmth that left a trail of tingling embers on her skin. Every breath she drew felt borrowed, as if she might have to give it back a