Chapter 123Threads of Patience, Bones of War

Azanlin POV

Dawn found me awake before the patrol bells. I sat by the map table and listened to the quiet in the castle. The quiet was not empty. It had weight. It had promises waiting to be broken or kept.

Elder Bram came in with his staff tapping slow on the stone. He smelled of smoke and herbs. He looked older at the edges, but he held his head high.

“You are up early,” he said.

“I could not sleep,” I answered. “Plans move like ...