The tower rose against the horizon like a scar. Dark stone twisted upward into the sky, jagged edges cutting into the eternal haze. No sun broke through here—only a pall of gray ash and shifting clouds that glowed faintly with the sickly light of runes. Even from a distance, the air was thicker than it should be, heavy and foul, pressing into the lungs with every breath.
They stood together on a ridge above the battlefield, cloaked in identical armor. Forged by dragon craft and sealed with runes, the plates shimmered faintly with their own inner light but blended seamlessly with shadow. No one—demon or otherwise—could have looked at them and seen dragons or guardians. The armor made them one, indistinguishable. That was the point. The demons could not know the truth.
Eric crouched low, s
