The Queen Who Chose Herself

The first explosion shook the fortress from its bones.

Stone cracked. Dust rained from the ceiling. Somewhere deep beneath the earth, alarms screamed like wounded animals, sharp and relentless.

Vera felt it through the soles of her feet.

Volkov froze mid-step, his confident smile faltering for the first time. “What did you do?”

Vera lifted her head slowly, calmly—like a woman who had already survived the worst thing life could throw at her.

“I told ...