A thunderclap shook the river gatehouse as Lord Chancellor Vorn's dreadnought dredged the sky. Nora pressed her back against a shattered marble pillar, heart hammering. Below, Leon Seres knelt atop the parapet, cloak swirling, torchlit sigils painting his face in streaks of red and silver.
“Hold the line!" Leon roared, blade drawn. His voice carried over the roar of engines and the hiss of the approaching shellfire.
Nora braced herself beside him, fingers brushing the faint scar at her neck. “Their shells will break through soon!"
Behind them, Elsa and Captain Marwyn rallied the loyalist troops, shields interlocking in a battered wall. Smoke and embers swirled like phantoms. Nora's breath misted in the freezing air.
“Press the formation!" Elsa shouted, voice fierce. A shell exploded ag
