Fia
*****Late Morning — The Lower Courtyard of New Silverfang*****
I didn’t think.
I just ran.
The stone paths of New Silverfang were familiar now, too familiar for panic to slow me down.
The rebuilt walls gleamed pale gray in the daylight, banners snapping gently in the wind, guards stepping aside the moment they saw my face. No fear in their eyes. No confusion.
They knew who I was.
That didn’t matter.
What mattered was that Lucian was leaving.
“He’s going,” I blurted the moment I reached my parents.
Mom was speaking quietly with a council member.
Dad stood beside her, relaxed for once, his crown already removed. Both of them turned sharply at my voice.
“What?” Mom asked.
“He’s already outside,” I said, breathless. “He didn’t say goodbye. Not properly. He’s going now.”
Finn
