Chapter 26

The stone bench atop the hill was cold, but the view across Stonegate made the discomfort negligible. Elara sat there for a full hour, her legs dangling slightly as she watched the sun begin its slow descent toward the horizon. Below, the city was a sprawling tapestry of slate roofs, rising smoke from evening hearths, and the distant, rhythmic clang of iron on iron from the forge district. She breathed in the cooling air, a faint smile tugging at her lips. This life—this strange, violent,...