SKYE'S POV
The midday sun beat down mercilessly upon the upper battlements of Nighthaven, reflecting blinding sheets of light off the meticulously polished granite stones and baking the air into a shimmering, heavy haze. Down in the valley, the high summer heat had transformed the emerald pastures into a vibrant, sun-drenched sea of gold and green, where wildflowers bowed lazily beneath the occasional passing thermal current. It was a season of profound abundance, of quiet certainty, and of relentless, industrious life that spanned every corner of our united domain.
Inside the fortress, however, a very different kind of heat was currently generating friction—and it had nothing to do with the weather.
I stood beside the massive slate table in the map room, my fingers resting lightly agai
