They left Whisperdeep in silence.
The Starborne sailed without sails, driven by leybound currents instead of wind. The ship groaned under the tension of unspoken words, and none of its passengers dared disturb the hush. Not because of fear, but because none yet knew how to name what they had seen.
Kaelin stood at the prow as she had on the outbound journey, but her shoulders were tighter now, her eyes darker. The taste of ash still clung to the back of her throat.
Veyra had vanished—not fled, but transcended. Through belief, through collective will, she and her flame-touched followers had simply… disappeared. And worse, she had left behind no fire to smother, no walls to tear down. Only questions.
Myrra broke the silence below deck. She spread a fresh map across the war table and pinne
