The hostile vision disappears the moment I sit up.
The stone room returns.
The two guards outside the door are still speaking quietly, unaware that someone inside Blackridge Fortress just entered my dreams.
My marked hand remains open.
The purple eye stares toward the southern wall.
A thin white line stretches from its center before fading into the distance.
The connection is still there.
Not strong enough to attack me again.
Strong enough to follow.
I get out of bed.
Pain runs through my legs, but the evolution repaired most of the damage caused by Dread Step. My body feels heavier than before, although not weaker.
The Warden's Claim responds immediately.
Warden has awakened.
Territory status: Stable
Hostile vision residue detected.
Origin remains active.
I open the door.
Both guards turn.
"Your Warden," one says.
I pause.
"What did you call me?"
The older guard looks uncertain.
"Your Warden?"
"I'm not sure I like that."
"Princess Elara introduced you as Warden of the Broken Chain."
"That sounds longer."
Neither guard seems to know how to respond.
"Where is Elara?"
"The command tent."
I begin walking.
The younger guard moves in front of me.
"We were ordered to keep you inside until morning."
"It is morning."
He looks toward the dark sky.
"It is still several hours before sunrise."
"I woke up early."
"We were told not to let you leave."
"You can try to stop me."
Fear rises from both guards.
The territorial boundary catches it before the energy reaches my Mark.
The fear becomes part of Wren's Hollow's defenses instead.
The younger man steps aside.
"That seems wise," I say.
I find Elara, Malrec, Aldric, and Commander Soren inside a large tent near the quarry entrance.
A map of Blackridge Fortress covers the table.
Metal markers show the west gate, drainage tunnel, river docks, communication tower, and surrounding roads.
Elara looks up as I enter.
"You were supposed to be sleeping."
"Someone entered my dreams."
No one speaks for a moment.
Malrec's hand moves toward Nightfall.
"Explain."
I describe the fortress.
The soldiers standing in perfect lines.
Commander Halvek with the black crown across his chest.
The woman in white armor.
Aldric's expression becomes more serious with every detail.
Malrec says nothing until I mention the blood on her sword.
Then his fear changes.
He knows her.
"Who is she?" I ask.
Malrec looks toward the map.
"Lady Seraphine Vale."
Elara's eyes widen slightly.
"The Ivory Judge?"
Soren lowers his head.
"That complicates matters."
"That phrase is becoming common," I say.
Malrec points toward the communication tower.
"Seraphine is the Fifth Royal Blade. Unlike Aurelius, she does not serve Lucien personally."
"Who does she serve?"
"The throne."
"Those currently seem like the same thing."
"They are not."
Malrec's voice becomes firm.
"Seraphine swore her oath before King Edric took the crown. Her blade recognizes royal authority directly. Lucien can command her only while the throne accepts his claim."
Elara studies the white marker representing the unknown Royal Blade.
"The throne recognized my challenge."
"Yes."
"So she should not be able to attack me."
"She may attack either claimant if she believes they threaten Asteria."
"That sounds inconveniently broad."
Aldric holds out his hand.
"Show me your Mark."
I open my palm.
The purple eye looks toward him before turning south again.
A faint white symbol surrounds the silver Warden's circle.
Aldric lowers one of his floating metal rings over my hand.
Blue light spreads across my skin.
The white symbol becomes clearer.
It resembles a sword placed across a pair of scales.
"A judgment thread," Aldric says.
"What does it do?"
"It creates a connection between two people through a question, accusation, or unresolved oath."
"I don't remember her asking a question."
"You were asleep. The vision itself may have been the question."
Elara leans closer.
"What was she asking?"
I think about the dream.
Two hundred soldiers spoke with one voice.
We know you're coming.
The woman in white armor smiled.
"She wanted to know whether the warning would change our plan."
"Did it?" Malrec asks.
"No."
The judgment symbol glows.
A sharp sensation passes through my palm.
Aldric pulls the metal ring away.
"The thread accepted your answer."
"And that means?"
"She knows."
Elara looks toward the southern road.
"Then Blackridge is prepared."
"It was always going to be prepared," I say.
"Prepared and aware of our exact timing are different."
"We can change the timing."
"The representatives are already gathering their people."
"Then we move earlier."
Elara gives me a tired look.
"You woke up from a hostile dream and immediately decided to attack sooner."
"It removes part of their advantage."
"Or brings us directly into a trap before we are ready."
Malrec continues staring at my palm.
"Seraphine does not usually warn her enemies."
"That was a warning?"
"She could have entered your dream without allowing Warden's Claim to detect her."
Aldric nods.
"The thread was deliberately left exposed."
"So she wanted us to trace it," I say.
Elara looks toward him.
"Can we?"
Aldric turns the metal ring in his hand.
"Following the thread normally would place Shin's mind inside her judgment domain."
"That sounds dangerous."
"It is."
"Can we make her come here instead?"
Aldric looks offended.
"That is not how judgment threads work."
"Can we make it work that way?"
"It would require anchoring the connection inside a recognized territory."
I open my palm.
"Warden's Claim."
Aldric becomes quiet.
Elara immediately shakes her head.
"You are not pulling a Royal Blade into the middle of Wren's Hollow."
"Only a projection."
"You don't know that."
"Aldric does."
Everyone looks toward him.
The seal master slowly exhales.
"In theory, Warden's Claim could prevent her physical body from crossing through the thread."
"In theory?" Soren repeats.
"The evolution should recognize the difference between a person and a supernatural connection."
"Should?" Elara asks.
Aldric looks irritated.
"Shin's abilities do not come with a complete instruction manual."
"They come with descriptions," I say.
"That is not the same thing."
Malrec rests both hands against the table.
"Seraphine wants contact. If we ignore the thread, she will remain inside Blackridge without revealing her intentions."
"And if we pull her here?" Elara asks.
"She may tell us why she warned Shin."
"Or attack," Soren adds.
Malrec looks toward the broken-chain banner outside the tent.
"If she intended to attack Wren's Hollow, she would not need a dream."
Elara remains uncertain.
I close my fingers around the judgment thread.
"Let's ask her."
The others follow me outside.
Most of the quarry is sleeping, although soldiers remain positioned around each entrance.
The Banner of the Broken Chain moves above the central ledge.
Warden's Claim is strongest near it.
Silver-black lines extend from the banner across the quarry and into the village.
I stand beneath the fabric.
Aldric places four metal rings around me.
Blue symbols form a circle on the ground.
"Do not pull directly on the thread," he says.
"What happens if I do?"
"Your consciousness may be drawn into hers."
"That doesn't sound terrible."
"She has spent thirty years judging criminals, traitors, and oath breakers. Her mind contains the final memories of thousands of people."
"That sounds worse."
"Use the territorial boundary to stop the connection here."
I open my marked hand.
The judgment thread becomes visible.
A white line stretches from my palm toward Blackridge Fortress.
I focus on where it crosses the edge of Wren's Hollow.
The Warden's Claim reacts.
The line stops.
The purple eye follows it south.
Aldric raises his staff.
"Now invite the connection inside."
"How?"
"You are the Warden. Recognize it without accepting the person attached to it."
"That is vague."
"It is magic."
"That excuse gets used too often."
I focus on the white line.
The thread is hostile, but the intention behind it is not simple aggression.
There is suspicion.
Curiosity.
A question waiting for an answer.
I allow the thread to enter the territory.
The Warden's boundary closes around it immediately.
Foreign supernatural connection recognized.
Source has not been accepted beneath the claim.
Physical entry prohibited.
"That seems promising," I say.
Elara moves closer.
"What happened?"
"The territory knows she isn't welcome."
"Can it keep her out?"
"We're about to find out."
I pull the connection.
The judgment thread tightens.
White light erupts from the center of the quarry.
The guards raise their weapons.
Villagers wake inside nearby tents.
A figure begins forming beneath the banner.
Boots appear first.
Then white armor covered in thin golden writing.
A long pale cloak falls behind her.
The sword in her hand is narrow and almost colorless, as though it was carved from ice.
Lady Seraphine Vale becomes fully visible.
She has dark hair cut just below her jaw and gray eyes that reflect the broken-chain banner above us.
Her body is transparent around the edges.
Only a projection.
The Warden's Claim holds the connection in place.
Seraphine looks around the quarry.
Her gaze moves across the soldiers, tents, damaged villagers, and Elara's banner.
Finally, she looks at me.
"You pulled a judgment into your own territory."
"You left the connection."
"I wanted to know whether you would notice."
"I noticed."
"I see that."
Her voice is calm.
Not cold like Malrec's.
More like someone who has already heard every possible excuse and is waiting for the truth.
Malrec lowers his head slightly.
"Lady Seraphine."
She looks toward his broken sword.
"Lord Malrec."
"You know what happened?"
"I know that you resisted Prince Lucien, allowed your oath to be severed, and stood beneath a rival banner."
"I serve Asteria."
"So you continue to claim."
The white sword in her hand glows.
The judgment thread connecting us shifts toward Malrec.
His fear increases slightly.
Seraphine watches the blade.
It remains steady.
She looks almost disappointed.
"You believe it."
"I do."
Her attention moves toward Elara.
The princess steps forward.
"Why are you inside Blackridge?"
"To judge its commander."
"Commander Halvek?"
"Yes."
"And?"
"He is loyal to Lucien."
"Because of his oath?"
Seraphine's eyes become harder.
"Because Lucien allows him to mistake cruelty for service."
That confirms Malrec's description.
Elara looks toward the fortress marker still visible inside the command tent.
"Then help us remove him."
"I cannot."
"Cannot or will not?"
The sword glows again.
Seraphine's expression does not change.
"Both."
"Lucien sealed our father beneath the palace."
"I have not witnessed proof."
"The throne recognized my challenge."
"It recognized your blood."
"He is using the royal network to imprison innocent people."
"I know the network exists."
Elara becomes still.
"You know?"
"I was a Royal Blade when your father attempted to dismantle it."
"Then why did you allow Lucien to stop him?"
Seraphine's transparent body flickers.
For the first time, emotion enters her face.
Regret.
"The king ordered me away from the capital before confronting his sons."
"Why?"
"He believed one Royal Blade needed to remain beyond their reach."
"Then he trusted you."
"He made a calculation."
Seraphine looks toward the broken-chain banner.
"I have spent the last year deciding whether it failed."
Fear Sense detects a thin line of fear from her projection.
It is directed toward the throne.
Not Lucien.
The throne itself.
"What are you afraid the throne will do?" I ask.
Her eyes shift toward me.
"That question was not directed at you."
"Fear usually is."
"You mistake access for permission."
"That happens often."
Elara steps between us before the conversation becomes worse.
"Why did you warn Shin?"
Seraphine looks toward the southern horizon.
"Blackridge is not simply a supply fortress."
Aldric grips his staff.
"The communication network."
"The tower is an Oath Crucible," Seraphine says. "Every obedience seal inside the fortress passes through it."
Soren's expression changes.
"What happens if the fortress falls?"
"Commander Halvek has orders to activate the crucible."
Malrec immediately understands.
"He'll burn the seals."
Elara looks between them.
"What does that mean?"
Seraphine raises her sword.
White lines appear in the air.
They form two hundred human figures standing around a tower.
Dark chains connect each person to its center.
"If Halvek loses control of Blackridge, the crucible will consume every oath connected to it."
The white figures begin burning from inside.
Their bodies collapse.
Energy flows into the tower.
"The soldiers die?" Elara asks.
"Yes."
"Why?"
"The released mana will destroy the fortress, the bridge, and everyone attacking it. The remaining power will travel through the royal network to the capital."
"Lucien is willing to sacrifice two hundred soldiers to deny us supplies," I say.
Seraphine's gaze returns to me.
"Lucien is willing to sacrifice anything he does not consider necessary."
"Why haven't you stopped Halvek?"
"My oath prevents me from seizing command from an officer acting under recognized royal authority."
"The throne recognizes Elara too."
"Which is why I have not stopped you from approaching."
Elara looks toward her.
"You intend to stand aside?"
"I intend to judge."
"That sounds useless."
Seraphine's expression remains calm.
"If you enter Blackridge only to replace Lucien's control with your own, I will kill you."
Several soldiers around the quarry raise their weapons.
Elara lifts one hand, stopping them.
Seraphine continues.
"If the World Raider feeds on the garrison's fear and destroys those who resist him, I will kill him."
"I expected that part," I say.
"If Malrec uses this conflict to satisfy his anger toward the throne, I will kill him."
Malrec nods once.
"And Halvek?" Elara asks.
"If he activates the Oath Crucible, I will kill him."
"Before or after the soldiers die?"
The question strikes harder than Elara's raised voice would have.
Seraphine's sword dims.
"My oath prevents me from acting before he becomes a direct threat to Asteria."
"He already is."
"I agree."
"Then your oath is wrong."
The quarry becomes silent.
Seraphine looks toward the banner.
The judgment thread moves around Elara.
The white sword brightens.
Elara does not look away.
After several seconds, Seraphine lowers the weapon.
"Yes," she says.
Malrec stares at her.
Seraphine continues.
"The oath was created to prevent Royal Blades from deciding the kingdom's future according to personal desire. It also prevents action when the law itself has been corrupted."
"Then let Shin sever it," Elara says.
Seraphine's gray eyes turn toward me.
"No."
"Why?"
"Because I chose it."
"That choice is keeping you from saving two hundred people."
"It is also the only reason every ruler since King Edric's grandfather could not turn me into a private executioner."
Elara becomes quiet.
Seraphine looks at me.
"You cut bonds too easily."
"Most of the bonds I've seen deserved to be cut."
"That does not mean all bonds are chains."
"I know."
"Do you?"
The judgment sword glows.
The question becomes part of the thread between us.
Images flash through my mind.
Elara's signal stone.
Warden's Claim.
The people of Wren's Hollow.
Oathbreaker.
Even my connection to the Reaper.
Some bonds control.
Others protect.
Dread Severance treats both as things that can be cut.
The difference depends on me understanding what I am touching.
"I'm learning," I say.
The sword continues glowing.
Then slowly dims.
Seraphine accepts the answer.
"What do you want from us?" Elara asks.
"Reach the Oath Crucible before Halvek activates it."
"That was already our plan," I say.
"You planned to sever the communication network first."
"Yes."
"That will trigger the crucible."
Aldric's metal rings stop moving.
"Of course."
I look toward him.
"What?"
"The network is acting as a restraint. If the external authority disappears, Halvek's seal will interpret the fortress as lost."
"So cutting the tower kills everyone."
"Unless we separate the soldiers' oath connections first."
"Two hundred connections," Elara says.
Aldric looks toward Oathbreaker's Mark in my palm.
"Or the single bond linking the crucible to their seals."
Seraphine nods.
"The central oath is beneath the fortress."
Soren points toward the map inside the tent.
"The drainage tunnel."
"It passes near the foundation chamber," Dalia's voice says from behind us.
The Greybank representative approaches with several miners.
They woke when the projection appeared.
She studies Seraphine without lowering her eyes.
"My people built the northern support tunnels. We were never allowed beneath the central tower."
"That is where you need to go," Seraphine says.
Dalia crosses her arms.
"And you plan to watch?"
"Yes."
"You Royal Blades enjoy that."
Malrec almost smiles.
Seraphine does not.
Elara looks toward the projected woman.
"If we prevent the crucible from activating, will you support my claim?"
"No."
Elara's expression tightens.
Seraphine continues.
"But I will acknowledge that you protected soldiers who were ordered to die for Lucien."
"That should be enough," Malrec says quietly.
"Enough for what?" I ask.
"Several garrisons respect Seraphine more than the princes. If she acknowledges Elara's actions publicly, soldiers may hesitate before obeying Lucien."
Hesitation.
Time.
Influence.
Useful.
Seraphine's projection begins fading.
"The thread cannot remain open much longer."
Elara steps forward.
"One more question."
Seraphine waits.
"Is my father alive?"
The Ivory Judge becomes completely still.
Her sword glows.
She looks at it before answering.
"Yes."
Elara's breath catches.
"You're certain?"
"I felt King Edric's oath respond when you challenged Lucien."
"Where is he?"
"Beneath the throne."
"We know that."
"No."
Seraphine's voice becomes quieter.
"Not beneath the palace."
Aldric's expression changes.
"What do you mean?"
"The royal network no longer recognizes the capital as its center."
Black lines begin spreading through the white projection.
Something is interfering with the thread.
Seraphine looks toward her own body, far away inside Blackridge.
"They noticed the connection."
"Who?" Elara asks.
"Halvek."
The black corruption reaches Seraphine's neck.
Her projection begins breaking apart.
She looks directly at me.
"The king is beneath Blackridge."
Everyone becomes silent.
Seraphine's voice distorts.
"The fortress was built over the first throne chamber."
The connection shakes violently.
White light and black symbols fight around her body.
"Lucien moved part of the royal network here before declaring himself king."
Aldric steps forward.
"That is impossible."
"Nothing about the throne is where it should be."
The projection loses one arm.
Seraphine's final words come quickly.
"Do not cut the tower."
Her sword disappears.
"Go beneath it."
The judgment thread snaps.
White light explodes across the quarry.
I raise my arm to shield my face.
When the light fades, Seraphine is gone.
The Warden's Claim closes around the broken connection.
A message appears.
Hostile vision resolved.
New threat identified: Blackridge Oath Crucible
New objective discovered: Prevent the Blackridge Sacrifice
Secondary objective discovered: Locate King Edric
Elara stares south.
"My father is inside the fortress."
"Possibly beneath it," Aldric says.
"She told the truth."
"The judgment sword indicated that she believed she was telling the truth."
"That is enough."
"No," Malrec says. "It means Blackridge is more dangerous than we believed."
Elara turns toward him.
"It also means we cannot wait."
The argument I expected disappears before it begins.
She no longer wants to delay the operation.
Neither does anyone else.
We return to the command tent.
The original plan is no longer useful.
Cutting the communication tower would activate the Oath Crucible.
We need to enter beneath it first, sever the central oath, and only then isolate the fortress from Lucien.
Dalia places a rough drawing of the drainage system over the map.
"The northern tunnel enters here."
She points toward the outer wall.
"The channel continues beneath the courtyard, but the final section was sealed after construction."
"How close to the tower?" I ask.
"Thirty feet. Perhaps less."
"Can your stone powder open it quietly?"
"No."
"That's unfortunate."
"It can open it quickly."
"That works."
Aldric moves one of his metal rings beneath the tower marker.
"If Seraphine is correct, the crucible will be protected by layered royal seals."
"Can Oathbreaker cut them?"
"Probably."
Elara looks toward me.
"You say that too often."
"This time he said it," I reply.
Aldric ignores us.
"The central oath is different from an ordinary connection. It may contain part of every soldier's identity."
"So cutting it incorrectly damages all of them," I say.
"Yes."
"What about the king?"
"If King Edric is connected to the crucible, severing the wrong bond may kill him as well."
Elara's hands tighten against the table.
"We need Seraphine inside the chamber."
"She cannot help before Halvek activates the crucible," Malrec says.
"Then we force Halvek to reveal his order publicly."
Soren understands.
"If the garrison hears that he intends to sacrifice them, the fortress may reject his command."
"The crucible may still activate through his authority," Aldric says.
"But Seraphine would be able to act," Elara replies.
The plan begins changing.
Soren and Malrec will still enter through the west gate with the supply wagons.
But Elara will be hidden inside the second wagon.
I object immediately.
"No."
She looks toward me.
"You do not control the operation."
"I'm your Warden."
"That does not make you my jailer."
"It makes protecting you easier when you are not inside the enemy fortress."
"My authority may be required to stop the soldiers' seals."
"Use a projection."
"Seraphine's judgment will recognize it."
"That sounds like her problem."
"It becomes ours when she refuses to acknowledge my claim."
Malrec looks toward me.
"Elara is correct."
"I didn't ask."
"The garrison must see her."
"They can see her after the fortress is secure."
"They need to choose before it is secure."
That is the problem.
Elara's entire claim is built on choice.
Hiding her safely outside while everyone else risks their lives would weaken the message before she speaks.
I do not like it.
That does not make it wrong.
"Stay inside the wagon until the central oath is cut," I say.
"No."
"Elara."
"I reveal myself when Soren reaches the courtyard."
"That is before I reach the crucible."
"It creates the distraction you need."
"It also gives Halvek a reason to activate it."
"He already knows we are coming."
Soren points toward the west gate.
"If Halvek believes we brought Elara to him, he may delay destroying the fortress."
Malrec nods.
"He wants her alive."
"For Lucien," I say.
"Yes."
I look toward the signal stone still tied around Elara's wrist.
The crack repaired when my Mark evolved, but the connection between us remains faint.
Outside Wren's Hollow, Warden's Claim will not fully protect her.
Dread Refuge may still work through the formal bond.
I open my status and examine the ability.
Dread Refuge
The Warden may absorb part of an accepted person's supernatural burden. Range depends on claim strength and mutual recognition.
Elara accepted me as her Warden.
The relationship may extend beyond the territory.
That is not a reason to let her walk into Blackridge.
It is the only protection I can offer if she does.
"Fine," I say.
She looks surprised.
"But you stay near Malrec."
"I can defend myself."
"Near Malrec."
Elara glances toward him.
Malrec lowers his head.
"I will remain with her."
"That sounded like an order," Elara says.
"It was."
"You still do not outrank me."
"I outrank you in reckless decisions."
"That is not a real position."
"Founding Threat is."
Everyone looks toward me.
I realize I said the system title aloud.
Elara slowly raises one eyebrow.
"You told me your position was Warden."
"I left out the other one."
"What is a Founding Threat?"
"I don't know."
Malrec looks toward Aldric.
"Can we continue planning before they create another title?"
The operation moves forward.
Dalia's miners will enter the drainage tunnel before the wagons reach the gate.
Taren's boats will cut off the southern docks.
Millford's wagons will carry Soren, Malrec, Elara, me, and Aldric's hidden seals.
Mara will remain in Wren's Hollow with Commander Soren's second officer.
Aldric will stay close enough to maintain the concealment seals but will not enter the fortress unless necessary.
He claims his face is too well known.
Considering the Crown announced his execution years ago, seeing him would create questions.
By midday, every group begins preparing.
I return to the storage house.
This time, not to rest.
Aldric places seals across my coat, arms, and Mark.
The purple eye disappears beneath a layer of false skin.
Oathbreaker becomes difficult to sense even inside my own soul.
"You will not be able to summon it until the outer seals are removed," Aldric says.
"How do I remove them?"
"Break the ring attached to your wrist."
A small blue band circles my left arm.
"And if my hands are restrained?"
"Do not allow that."
"Useful advice."
He places one final symbol against my forehead.
The world becomes quieter.
Fear Sense weakens.
I can still detect strong emotions, but the distant connections disappear.
I feel blind.
"I dislike this."
"That means the seals are working."
Elara enters wearing the clothing of a captured traveler.
Her silver hair is hidden beneath a brown illusion.
Royal restraints hang loosely around her wrists.
I stare at them.
"No."
"They are false."
"They look real."
"That is the purpose."
Malrec enters behind her wearing repaired black armor.
The royal markings have been restored.
Nightfall remains broken, but he carries it as though nothing happened.
Commander Soren looks exhausted and injured.
Some of it is makeup.
Some is real.
The plan is convincing.
That makes me trust it less.
We leave Wren's Hollow before sunset.
Three Millford wagons travel south beneath royal supply markings.
Soren rides at the front with six soldiers.
Malrec sits beside him.
Elara is hidden beneath the cover of the second wagon.
I lie inside a sealed compartment beneath sacks of grain.
It is dark, cramped, and difficult to breathe.
Aldric was right.
The concealment is uncomfortable.
For several hours, I hear only wagon wheels and distant voices.
Without full Fear Sense, I cannot tell where the scouts are positioned.
I have to trust the others.
That may be the hardest part of the operation.
Near midnight, the wagons slow.
A horn sounds ahead.
Blackridge Fortress.
The compartment shifts as the wagon stops.
Voices speak outside.
"Halt!"
Commander Soren answers.
"Ninth Battalion survivors from Wren's Hollow."
"State your commander."
"Soren Vale."
There is a pause.
"We received reports that you deserted."
"I escaped."
"From whom?"
Soren's voice becomes colder.
"Open the gate and see."
Metal grinds against stone.
The fortress entrance opens.
The wagons begin moving again.
We cross beneath the outer wall.
The moment we enter, something feels wrong.
Even through Aldric's seals, I should sense fear from the guards.
There is nothing.
No anxiety.
No suspicion.
No emotion at all.
Only silence.
The wagon passes through the courtyard.
Boots move around us in perfect rhythm.
Dozens of soldiers.
Possibly hundreds.
None of them speak unless ordered.
The dream returns to me.
Two hundred soldiers standing in perfect lines.
All of them speaking with one voice.
The wagon stops.
A man begins clapping.
Slowly.
The sound echoes through the courtyard.
"Commander Soren."
His voice is calm and pleased.
"You returned exactly as predicted."
Halvek.
Malrec speaks.
"Where is Lady Seraphine?"
"Judging."
"Judging what?"
"Whether you are still worth saving."
Footsteps approach the second wagon.
The one carrying Elara.
My hand moves toward the blue ring around my wrist.
Halvek continues.
"And now that the rightful princess has delivered herself to us, I believe the answer no longer matters."
The wagon cover is pulled away.
Elara's illusion disappears.
Golden light floods the courtyard.
Soldiers turn toward her in perfect unison.
Their faces are empty.
Black crowns have been burned across every forehead.
Halvek laughs.
Then his attention shifts toward the wagon containing me.
Although I am hidden beneath grain, I feel him looking directly at the compartment.
"You may come out now," he says.
The black crowns begin glowing.
"World Raider."
END OF CHAPTER 17