Chapter 27
The bell tolled once. Then again.
Origin had never needed warning bells before. It was a sanctuary. A secret. A birthplace wrapped in stone and silence.
But now the Hollow had found them.
Elira stood on the high balcony of the ancient dome, staring down at the army stretched across the frost.
Silver armor.
Dead eyes.
And at the front of it all was General Sira.
Her cloak flared in the wind like wings. Her eyes were cracked glass.
“She’s here,” Elira murmured. “She followed me across the end of the world.”
Behind her, Kael stood silent. His fingers twitched with frostlight.
Maera rested a hand on the hilt of her sword.
“Let her come,” she said. “She’ll bleed before you do.”
A Message Delivered
A rider approached under a flag of parley.
Elira met them at the outer g
