By dusk, the palace no longer whispered. It bristled.
Wolves lined the colonnades, their eyes sharp as spearpoints. Soldiers double-checked their armor with fumbling hands. Even the Glitter Pools seemed to stir uneasily, ripples breaking their mirrored calm as if the water itself felt war’s approach.
I stood on the balcony overlooking the courtyard, the Heart Stone warm against my ribs. From here, I could see the strike party assembling: two dozen wolves, a cadre of fae rangers, and Lou at their head, already shifting between his human skin and Tan’s golden blaze as his temper pulled at the edges.
“This is reckless,” I said under my breath, fingers curling around the stone.
Beside me, Winter-elder’s voice was a low current. “It is necessary. Javier tests us. If we do not strike, he wil
