Mira’s POV

The camp woke in silence. No one spoke as I passed; whispers followed, but no eyes met mine. The tribunal summons had spread faster than fire. Kael was gone, called to the envoy before dawn.

I moved through the yard, each step heavier than the last. Orders were shouted, names called, but none reached me. My rank meant nothing. I was already marked. Suspicion hung in the air.

A messenger found me near the training post. “Commander Seraphine requests you,” he said. I asked where. ...