Chapter 19 Shadows Between Us

• The morning came without light.
• Storm clouds hung low over Durnhold’s battered towers, and the city stirred not with hope, but with a quiet dread. Kael rose before the sun, boots laced tight, sword at his side. The letter from Adrien still burned in his pocket. He hadn’t slept. Couldn’t. Not with the past clawing its way toward him like a beast long caged.
• Elira was already in the courtyard. Her cloak was soaked at the edges from the damp stone, her hair tied back, face drawn but calm. She didn’t flinch when Kael approached. She just looked at him—really looked—and said, “You’re shaking.”