The Spark of Alliance
The next morning, the council chamber was in disarray. Scrolls rustled like frightened birds. Messengers raced down icy corridors. For the first time in decades, the history of the Ember Line was being questioned—not in whispers, but in full daylight.
Elira stood at the center of it all.
Not alone.
Beside her: Rian, steady and loyal.
Kael, silent but fierce—his presence now openly defiant of his former commanders.
And Lady Maeryn, her silver brooch now reworked with a glowing emberstone.
Others followed.
A senator from the southern territories.
A mage-historian long thought disgraced.
Even a Blackguard captain quietly handed Kael a sealed letter: "Not all of us forgot what loyalty truly means."
The kingdom was cracking.
And through those cracks, light poured in.