Chapter 85

Chapter 85 Seraphina's POV Morning sunlight spilled through the high windows of the Blackthorne Keep, warm and golden. But even that gentle light couldn’t quite ease the tension in my chest. The first day of peace had felt like a gift. The second felt like a test. There was no war council this morning. No urgent summons. Just silence—and yet, somehow, it felt louder than battle drums. Maybe because now, without a fight to anchor us, we had to face what came next: rebuilding not just our lands, but ourselves. I stood by the eastern balcony, sipping tea that had long since gone cold. Below, the training fields echoed with distant sparring. Soldiers practicing not out of necessity, but discipline. The scent of dew and iron lingered in the air. Kaelos found me there. He didn’t speak right away, only stepped beside me, his arms brushing mine as he looked over the hills. "I thought I’d find you here," he said quietly. "Couldn’t sleep well," I admitted. "I keep thinking we missed something. T