The first sign of trouble came in the form of silence.
For months, the eastern kingdoms had been sending messages. Trade requests. Political correspondence. Diplomatic inquiries. Then all of it stopped.
Rowan noticed it first. The spy master came to Kael one morning with a troubled expression.
"No messages from the east in thirty days," Rowan said. "That is not normal. Something is happening. Something they do not want us to know about."
Kael was in the academy courtyard when Rowan delivered this news. He was watching the newest class of students training. They were from different lands, different cultures, different backgrounds. But here, they were united by a common purpose.
"Send scouts," Kael said. "I want to know what is happening in the eastern kingdoms. I want to know what chan
