Chapter 1: The Night of Ashes
The scent of burning wood and blood clung to the air, thick and suffocating. Smoke curled through the shattered palace halls, twisting like fingers of the dead, grasping at the ruins of what was once her home.
Azelia's breath came in ragged gasps. Her back pressed against the cold stone wall, her hands trembling against the weight of the dagger she barely knew how to use. The heat of the fire licked at her skin, casting shadows that danced like ghosts in the flickering torchlight.
This isn't happening. This can't be real.
But the screams outside said otherwise.
Somewhere in the distance, a woman's voice cracked with agony before being silenced. The clang of steel on steel, the dull thud of bodies hitting the floor. This was what betrayal sounded like.
She squeezed her eyes shut, her heart hammering against her ribs.
Just hours ago, she had stood before the High Council, draped in royal silks, her father's ring still warm on her finger. She had spoken of peace, of unity, of a future where bloodshed was no longer the answer.
And they had looked her in the eye and ripped her world apart.
Treason. Conspiracy. Unfit to rule.
The words echoed in her skull like a curse.
But the worst part—the part that made her stomach churn and her throat tighten—was that he had been there.
Lorian.
Her most trusted confidant. The boy who had fought beside her, bled beside her, whispered promises of loyalty beneath the moonlight when they were children.
He had stood in the council chamber, silent.
He hadn't spoken when they called for her arrest. Hadn't raised his sword when they dragged her from the throne. He had just watched.
A footstep.
Azelia's grip tightened on the dagger, her breath catching. The sound was close—too close.
Her body moved before her mind could catch up. She twisted, striking out—
A hand caught her wrist, strong and unyielding.
Her pulse roared.
The flickering firelight illuminated a face she knew too well.
"Lorian?"
Her voice came out hoarse, broken. As if saying his name would make him real again. Make him the boy she had trusted.
He looked different now—hardened. The green of his eyes, once familiar and safe, was shadowed with something unreadable. Guilt? Regret? Or something worse?
"We have