Kael’s POV

The fortress slept uneasily. Every corridor echoed what I’d said before the council. The weight of it is a blade between my ribs. I waited in the war room, the old map spread out, lines redrawn until they led nowhere.

Mira slipped in, hood shadowing her face. The silence between us was heavy. “You shouldn’t have done it,” she said low. “They’ll strip your title before dawn.”

“I don’t care.” My hands stayed on the map. “You’re still breathing. That’s what ...