NORA POV
The tremor hit just as the midday sun crested over Embergate’s crystalline archway. My hand froze on the Council table, the quill I held falling limp. A shudder rippled through the gates—an unsteady pulse that set the guardians on edge.
“Something… has come through,” I whispered, heart pounding. The gathered ambassadors stiffened. Kalen, standing behind me, immediately scanned the courtyard, eyes sharp as steel.
Valya sprang to her feet. Daemon closed the council circle. The elders exchanged alarmed murmurs.
I steeled myself. “Isis?” I called. She appeared at my feet, alert, hackles raised.
“The tremor originated from the southern Rift Gate,” Myra announced—her voice clipped in her Captain-of-the-Guard authority.
I stood. “Gather the guardians. We must protect the passage.”
