The Crown Prince rolled out of bed in the darkness of the night, the heavy silence of the castle wrapping around his chamber. The candles had long burned low, their faint flames flickering against the stone walls.
Swinging his legs down from the bed, he leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. His fingers buried themselves into his hair as he stared blankly at the floor.
Too many things weighed on his mind.
Firstly—who tried to kill the King?
The attack had not been random. Someone had planned it carefully, someone with enough courage—or madness—to challenge the royal bloodline itself. Yet no matter how much the guards searched or how many people were questioned, the truth remained hidden.
Secondly, there was the strange connection he could not ignore.
The people who had attacked him… they were somehow tied to Peakfall.
And Peakfall itself was connected to something far more mysterious—the portal hidden deep within Ashwood.
