Chapter 28 The Gambit

• The war room had been hastily converted from the castle's old solar, its tall windows now barricaded with iron shutters and protective runes. Maps covered every available surface, marked with red pins indicating the locations of mysterious deaths across both kingdoms. In the past week since Kael's midnight visit, the pattern had become disturbingly clear.
• "Seventeen deaths," Captain Thorne reported, his weathered face grim. "All showing the same signs as Thomas Millwright—no wounds, black eyes, and traces of demonic magic."
• I studied the map, noting how the deaths formed a rough circle around our castle. "She's drawing power from multiple sources, building up for something big."