The capital mourned in silence.
Smoke still lingered in the air from burned armor and shattered stone. The courtyard that once rang with laughter now echoed only with footsteps and whispered prayers. Soldiers cleaned blood from blades. Medics moved from body to body, counting the living and the dead.
May stood near the outer wall, arms wrapped around herself.
She couldn’t stop thinking about the shadows.
The way they had risen like something alive. The way they obeyed Zayn without hesitation.
People stared now.
Not openly—but enough.
Some soldiers bowed deeper when Zayn passed. Others stepped back, hands tightening around weapons out of instinct rather than reason. Fear hid behind respect, and suspicion bled through both.
Inside the council hall, tension cracked the air.
“This cha
