I glanced at my brothers. Phoenix had gone still, his glowing fingers curling into a loose fist. Slade stood rigid, his daggers paused mid-spin.
They felt it too.
That same invisible pull.
That same... presence.
I murmured, almost to myself, “I don’t know.”
“Gentlemen,” a bark cracked through the moment like a whip. “Is there a problem?”
I turned to see General Vasquez storming toward us in full armour, jaw clenched, suspicion etched into every line of his face.
General Vasquez had been the King’s advisor for the last six years, ever since the split that had led to the resistance. He was a vulture, picking at weaker prey to claim power for his own. He ran the sentinels with an iron fist.
He was ugly, both inside and out and his ability to sense lies was the only reason he held his position so long. It was him who outed Vael’s intentions for the throne, after all. And there was no one Ashton trusted more.
His black eyes were fathomless and full of predatory intelligence, like a basilisk. Though we stood equal in rank, he and I chose different methods in our training regimens and Ashton loved to watch us fight for his attention like dogs for scraps.
Where I chose to build a trainee’s strength, the general loved nothing more than breaking a person down until they became nothing but a mindless automaton. So many Shades were like that now. He disgusted me.
“No problem,” I replied coolly, schooling my features into neutrality.
Vasquez narrowed his eyes, clearly unconvinced, but unwilling to challenge me further in public.
Behind him, the procession continued like nothing had happened—like the shadows weren’t breathing around us, like something ancient and unseen wasn’t watching from the cracks.
But I knew better.
Something was out there.
I took a step towards the thickest section of shadows, but the moment I did, the world exploded.
Chapter 5
Elira
The explosion hit like a thunderclap.
It threw me backward, slamming me into the sewage-soaked tunnel wall with a wet, sickening smack. My vision blurred. The earth trembled beneath my feet, a low, growling quake that rumbled through my bones. I bit down on my scream, my throat aching with the effort—but it didn’t matter.
Everyone was screaming now.
Beyond the outer wall, near the heart of the town, a thick plume of black smoke curled into the sky like a beast rising. Flames licked upward through the smog. The end of the procession was engulfed in chaos—people running, wailing, scattering in all directions.
They’d been bombed.
I stared, frozen for only a second, watching the devastation unfold like a nightmare come to life. Then the Shades sprang into action—cold, calculated efficiency. Sentinels barked orders, weapons drawn, scanning every face like it might be the enemy. The King vanished behind the castle walls, swallowed by steel and panic.
That was my window.
I bolted.
Heart hammering, shadows swirling at my heels, I ducked low and sprinted for the healer’s hut. Around me, people pushed and stumbled, guards shouted, smoke seared the back of my throat—but I didn’t stop.
Not now.
Not when I was this close.
