“The greatest dangers aren’t always the ones outside the walls. Sometimes, they grow right under your feet.”
The night air carried an edge of sharpness, the kind that made people cautious. The city should have been winding down by now, but the streets hummed with an energy that didn’t sit well with me. The people of Verauno had been through enough—the war, the curse, the struggle to rebuild. And yet, something unseen stirred beneath the surface.
I stood at the high balcony overlooking the city, watching as torches flickered along the main roads. Somewhere in those streets, whispers were turning into plans. Not of war with an outside enemy, but of rebellion—born right here, within the kingdom.
A presence approached behind me, steady and familiar. Asher didn’t need to speak for me to know
