Chapter 28 Masks And Mirrors
- The moon hung high over Cindermarch, casting silver shadows across the capital’s sloped roofs and spiraling towers. From a distance, it appeared serene, untouched by the storms brewing beneath the surface. But the wind carried a strange scent—smoke, steel, and the bitter tang of deceit.
- Within the palace walls, Elara stood beside Kael in the war chamber, pouring over recent intelligence. Red pins marked sudden troop withdrawals. Green for villages that had gone quiet. A growing pattern spidered out from the northern borders, drawing closer with every day.
- “She’s spreading influence faster than we thought,” Kael said grimly.