The ride back to Veridias City was slower than the ride out.
William's body was weak. The ritual had taken more from him than he wanted to admit. His hands trembled. His vision blurred. The crown in his pack felt heavy as stone.
Elara rode beside him, close enough to catch him if he fell.
"You should have stayed in the east to rest," she said.
"The council needs to know what happened."
"The council can wait."
"The east can't."
Kaelen had stayed behind to help her people. The white blade and the gray blade remained in the mountains, sealed in a new vault the easterners had built. The black sword was still in William's house, locked in its lead box.
The Rust was gone. All of it.
But the memory remained.
---
They reached the city on the fifth day.
The guards at the eastern gate re
