---
I waited until Kael was asleep.
He'd insisted on staying with me—watching me, protecting me, making sure I was okay. But eventually, the exhaustion had won. His breathing had evened out, his grip on my hand loosened, and his golden eyes had finally closed.
I slipped out of bed, careful not to wake him.
The journal was on the nightstand, waiting for me. My father's words. His secrets. His truth.
I picked it up, ran my fingers over the worn leather cover, and walked to the window.
The city glittered below me. Aethel City—dark, beautiful, dangerous. The city that had taken everything from me.
And the city I was about to burn to the ground.
---
I opened the journal.
The first entry was dated three days before the fire.
"I know what Celeste is planning. I found the letters. The p
