Chapter 58 The Wings We Wear

• The wind that swept over the castle walls carried something new. Not the scent of blood or war, but something older—wild and ancient, a pulse beneath the surface of the world. Elira stood alone in the armory courtyard, eyes fixed on the sky where the fire-trails had vanished. The stars were veiled behind thick clouds, but she could feel them. Watching. Waiting.
• Footsteps approached, soft and sure. She didn’t turn.
• “You didn’t sleep,” Kael said behind her.