Elara’s POV
The sun was just beginning to brush the tops of the pine trees when I stepped onto the manor balcony. Pale gold light spilled across the stone, soft and cautious, as if even the morning was unsure whether it was safe to return.
For weeks, every breath had tasted like old smoke and buried secrets. The wind had howled through the corridors like it carried the ghosts of everything we weren’t allowed to say. But today, after Julian’s speech in the courtyard, everything was different.
The truth had finally been spoken aloud. The elders were locked behind iron bars.
I leaned against the cool stone railing and looked down at the courtyard below. My people, my brave, stubborn, beautiful people, were walking freely toward the kitchens for breakfast. No guards flanked them, and ther
