Bryndis had survived the war. The fortress itself had not emerged unscathed.
Smoke drifted above the outer walls, where the royal army's bombardment had split the stone and battered several defensive towers. Fires had been put out, but the smell of scorched timber and hot metal still hung over the courtyard. Wounded soldiers were being carried to temporary infirmaries while laborers and craftsmen worked through the rubble, clearing paths for repair crews.
The fighting was over. The work of making Bryndis secure again had only begun.
Inside the Arcanum Forge's control room, Kael stood before a holographic projection of the fortress. Damaged walls glowed red. Broken mana conduits appeared as fractured lines, while inactive barrier nodes pulsed amber across the display.
