Fog clung low over the valley, muffling the world into silence.
Isabella stood at the tree line, her coalition spread behind her—rogues, freed kennel wolves, defectors from the border.
Every one of them waited for her signal.
---
They had been cutting Southport's veins for weeks.
Caravans vanished into the forest; supply depots mysteriously emptied; messages between commanders never arrived.
Inside the walls, Samantha's orders for restraint clashed with Aaron's demands for punishment. Captains picked sides, grudges resurfaced. The council pretended control, but the cracks were widening.
---
A lone envoy had come to her camp two nights before, offering peace.
“No truth in the terms," Isabella said, handing the envoy back with all her fingers intact. “Tell them they know the price—r
