Chapter 29
The days that followed the Battle of Serpent’s Pass were a blur of frenetic energy, a stark contrast to the grim preparations that had preceded it. The Warren was transformed from a reclusive military fortress into a bustling, chaotic diplomatic hub. A steady stream of the Umbral Realm’s dispossessed and defiant flowed into the Howling Gyre, a testament to the hope Aria’s victory had ignited. Hecate and the Mire-Sisters were the first to arrive. The ancient witch matriarch, who had once faced Aria with arrogance and fear, now approached her with a cautious, calculating respect. They met not in the great hall, but in Garm’s den of lore, a neutral ground of smoke and prophecy. “The Council’s power has been broken in the north,” Hecate rasped, her blind white eyes seeming to see the shiftin
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