Chapter 5 Tension Beneath The Stone Part II

Chapter 4(ii)

ELIRA

The fortress air had changed. She smelled it before she heard it-the shift in footsteps outside her door, the hushed tone of voices through stone. There was a current of urgency now, sharp as smoke.

Something had gone wrong.

Elira stood at the narrow window, eyes sweeping the courtyard. The usual drills were gone. Soldiers now stood at full attention along the main hall. At the center of the open square, a sleek carriage of blue and bone had arrived, flanked by riders draped in silver-threaded cloaks. Veyran colors.

Diplomats.

Or something closer to wolves in silk.

A knock startled her. Not a guard. Not Kaelen. A servant girl, no older than fifteen, slipped inside. Her gaze skittered away from Elira's, but she held out a tray with a thin envelope and a small porcelain dish covered in linen.

"These were sent to you," the girl whispered. "From the envoy. She insisted."

Elira didn't move.

"Leave it on the table," she said.

The girl obeyed, then fled without another word.

Elira waited. Counted to thirty. Then walked over and lifted the cloth.

Almond cakes. Perfect, golden, delicate.

Her stomach growled on instinct-she hadn't eaten since yesterday-but her mind sharpened faster. Why would the Veyran envoy, a woman of a rival nation, offer her sweets?

She picked up the envelope instead.

A folded card. Inside, in elegant script:

"For the Flame That Was Not Extinguished. Veyra watches. We remember."

She went cold.

It's not a gift. It's a message.

A second line, finer, nearly invisible in the margin:

"Do not eat. Two guards fell ill this morning from tasting such offerings."

She glanced at the untouched cakes, then hurled the tray into the fireplace. Flames roared.

Not ten seconds later, the door burst open. Kaelen stood there, breathing hard, silver eyes blazing.

"You received something," he said.

"I received a warning," Elira replied. "Which is more than your men got."

He stepped forward, gaze locking on the embers. The scent of burned sugar filled the air.

"She's baiting us," he said. "Trying to start fractures. We just secured the eastern reach-if Veyra aligns with the Vareth loyalists-"

"She already has," Elira cut in.

Kaelen stared at her. "What do you mean?"

She held up the card. "There are survivors. Organized enough to send messages through diplomatic channels. That means supply lines. Hidden loyalties. Maybe even a network inside your walls."

She watched that sink in. The weight of it. His empire was not made of stone-it was stitched together with blood and silence, and now both were unraveling.

"Keep this," she said, tossing him the note. "Frame it if you like. A souvenir from the fire you're standing in."

He caught it, jaw clenched. "This changes everything."

"I know," she said, already turning back to the window. "And it's only the beginning."