The Keep was never quiet after a battle.
Elinora had learned that much in her short time here. The clang of repair work echoed through the courtyards, the smell of oil and sharpened steel drifted from the armory, and the healers’ hall buzzed with quiet urgency. But under it all was something heavier — an unspoken tension, as if the very stones of the Keep knew more storms were coming.
Riven had doubled the guards on the walls, and word spread quickly that the rogues who had attacked weren’t acting alone. Something — or someone — had driven them to it.
Elinora spent the morning in the training yard, her breath puffing white in the cold. Riven had her practicing not with the staff this time, but with bare hands.
“Your wolf’s power is one thing,” he said, circling her slowly, “but you nee
