Chapter 20 The Road To Ruin

• The gates of Elenfort groaned shut behind them as they rode hard through the night, torches flickering like dying stars. The storm had broken, but the air was thick with dread. Kael didn’t look back—there was nothing left behind him but ash. Ahead, the capital loomed, still two days away. But time was unraveling. Adrien had made his move—and whatever waited beneath the palace floor could not fall into his hands.
• Elira rode beside him, her skin pale, lips pressed thin. She hadn’t spoken since the square. Not about the power she’d unleashed, not about what it cost her. Kael wanted to reach for her, to say something, but the weight of the moment sat like iron on his tongue. She wouldn’t want words. She’d want action.
• They stopped only once, in the shadow of the old pines. Malen handed out dried meat and bread, but no one ate. The fire they built was small, more for habit than heat. Kael stood at the edge of the trees, eyes fixed on the horizon.