The dawn after Varik’s defeat was eerily quiet. The smoke of battle still clung to Ironhold Keep, curling in thin gray spirals over shattered walls and shattered siege engines. Ren stood atop the main battlements, surveying the aftermath. The victory had been hard-won, but it was only the first step.
Around him, his soldiers moved with a strange mixture of exhaustion and pride. They buried the dead, tended the wounded, and reinforced the battered walls. Despite the fatigue, their eyes followed him wherever he went. To them, he was not just a commander—he was a symbol, a force that had turned the tide of war against one of the realm’s most feared generals.
Kael approached, armor dented and blackened with soot. “We’ve secured the perimeter. The walls have been patched where we could. But t
