Chapter 11 – Alric’s Challenge
The courtyard shimmered with enchantment. Runes glowed faintly along the stone perimeter, each carved by a hand long dead, pulsing in rhythm with the sun’s slow descent. Velvet banners bearing the royal crest danced in the windless air, as if stirred by the anticipation hanging in the space like thunderclouds.
Eira adjusted her gloves, fingers trembling. She wasn’t cold. She was many things—exhausted, confused, haunted—but not cold.
The magic in the air made her bones hum, and the proximity of Prince Alric made her pulse riot.
“Lady Valenhart,” the Master of Trials announced, “you will be paired with His Highness for the Arcane Convergence.”
Murmurs scattered like dry leaves among the noble guests watching from the galleries above. Mira caught her gaze
