POV: Mason
The alarm bells didn’t ring.
They screamed.
A sound so old and so violent that it shook the marrow of my bones as it tore through the kingdom. The crystals embedded in the outer walls ignited one by one, cascading in waves of silver and crimson light—each flare marking a breach point along the borders.
Too many.
“Outer perimeter is failing!” a guard shouted from the eastern tower. “Multiple impact sites—north ridge, western forest line, and the ravine!”
I was already moving.
“Rally the first and second guard units!” I barked. “Shift teams to the western line—I want every shield-bearer and long-range striker on that ridge in two minutes!”
The ground shuddered beneath our feet.
Alex appeared beside me in a flash of wind and light, eyes blazing. “It’s not an army,” she sai
