chapter 178

Three days after Summer’s removal, the eastern watch failed to report in. No alarms were raised. No horns blown. Just an absence—one too clean to be accidental.

Caleb noticed it before anyone else did.

He didn’t summon the council. He didn’t announce concern. He sent a single runner, then waited.

Kaia felt it too.

The mark beneath her skin stirred—not violently, not painfully—but like a held breath finally released. She stopped mid-step in the corridor and pressed ...