Rain lashed against the castle windows, a relentless percussion that mirrored the tempest raging within Aurelia. Maps lay scattered on the library table, forgotten constellations in a sea of parchment. Her emerald eyes, usually alight with defiance, were clouded with worry, her fingers tracing the path of a twisting black vein on a weathered map.
The Serpent's Heart, once a whisper on the wind, had become a palpable threat. Shadows, like tendrils of smoke, were reaching beyond their hidden realm, creeping into the corners of their world. Falcon, her warrior king, was away, leading a battalion to quell an uprising at the distant borders, leaving Aurelia to grapple with the gnawing fear that their defiance might not be enough.
