Kael’s POV

When Mira’s words stopped echoing, the silence inside me turned violent. I left her chamber before I broke the walls or myself. The corridors felt narrow, the air raw. I didn’t know if I was running from her or from the truth she’d thrown at me.

The stronghold was half-asleep. Every torch burned low, and the guards avoided my eyes. They’d heard enough to know better than to speak. I wanted space, but space didn’t fix what had already burned through me.

I ended up in the ...