Sasha’s Pov
The city rose from the cliffs like a crown carved by gods, its stone spires piercing the clouds, its smoke-glass towers catching the last of the fading sun like blades turned to sky. Winding walls etched with runes older than any living ruler wrapped the city in silent defense.
Eldros.
The capital of the Northern Realms.
And the place Alex once called home.
Twilight bruised the sky as we passed through the outer gates, great iron jaws flanked by guards clad in black and silver. Their armor gleamed like starlight over snow, their faces stoic, yet sharp with unease.
They knew.
Even beneath my cloak, even with the masking salves burned into my skin, the whisper of fire trailed behind me like a living thing. It curled at my heels. It pulsed in the seams of my shadow. An echo
