Chapter 63 When The Sky Cracks

• The horns sounded at dawn.
• Elira stood on the high battlements, the chill biting through her cloak, her hair loose in the wind. The eastern ridge burned with the first touch of sunlight—but it wasn’t dawn that stole her breath. It was the sight of hundreds of dark figures cresting the horizon, banners absent, formation tight. Uninvited. Unannounced.
• Kael stepped beside her, armored but not yet mounted. His eyes narrowed on the incoming force, lips pressed into a thin, unreadable line.