CHAPTER 15: ASHES AND DAWN
PART I: THE FLIGHT OF THE PROMISE
The sun was setting over the Citadel of Dawn, casting long golden shadows across the dark wooden scaffolding that still clung to the gilded marble towers. Thirteen years after the m******e that had nearly wiped their lineage from the face of the earth, the Royal Pack of the Sun-Bearers was ascending once more. It was a slow pace, sometimes hesitant, but sustained by the steady rhythm of hammers and the scraping of trowels. The humid air carried the scent of freshly cut stone, the resinous fragrance of cedar wood, and, above all, the tenacious hope of survivors determined to rebuild their dignity.
Ian, the crown prince, stood on one of the citadel’s half-restored balconies, where new stone met rock still charred by the flames o
