By morning, the fortress no longer felt stunned.
It felt sharpened.
Word of the traitor’s identity had settled like ash over Silvercrest, but grief was a luxury no one could afford. Aria refused to let shock turn into paralysis. If betrayal had slipped through once, it would not happen again.
She stood at the center of the strategy hall, a large map of the territory spread across the stone table. Markers carved from bone and iron marked patrol routes, supply caches, and blind spots in their defenses.
Warriors filled the chamber, waiting.
Not for Kaden.
For her.
The awareness of that settled heavily on Aria’s shoulders—but it did not crush her.
“We divide into four units,” she began, voice steady and clear. “Northern ridge, river crossing, forest perimeter, and inner fortress guard.
