Chapter 40: The Siege of the Dark Citadel (Part 1 of 3)
The death of Maeve Morrigan had not shattered the spirit of her remaining Dark Knights. Instead, it drove them deeper into madness and desperation. They retreated to a towering citadel on the outskirts of Celesterra, a monolithic fortress carved into the mountainside, as if the dark stone had erupted from the earth itself. The citadel loomed ahead, its jagged spires clawing at the sky like skeletal fingers, and a perpetual storm circled above, casting the land in a swirling gloom.
James stood at the edge of the valley that surrounded the citadel, his forces amassed behind him. Dwarves, elves, and humans, tens of thousands strong, waited for his command. The air was heavy with anticipation, the cold wind from the mountains biting into their armor. Above, the sky rumbled, as if the land itself was alive with tension.
