Chapter 90

Seraphina's POV The winds at the Crescent Border were sharper today. I stood near the cliff’s edge, staring down at the forest below, where the trees whispered in ancient tongues. The golden word—Unbound—still echoed in my mind, carved not only into stone but into me. It was no longer just about Cassian or the tribunal. This was deeper. Older. The Order of Embers had been moving pieces across the board long before I ever realized I was a player. Callista approached quietly, her boots crunching against the frost-laced ground. “We traced one of the names on that wall. It belongs to a woman in the Southern Dunes. She disappeared ten years ago.” “Order took her?” I asked, though I already knew the answer. Callista nodded. “Or she became one of them.” Kaelos joined us moments later. His eyes were on me. “It’s spreading, Seraphina. Symbols like the ones we found—more are appearing near border packs. Someone’s activating them.” I clenched my fists. “Then we don’t wait. We go to the Southern D