Chapter 78

Chapter 78 Seraphina's POV Snow began to fall the morning after the ambush. It came quietly, like a hush over the wounded valley, softening the scorched earth and blood-streaked stones. But no amount of snow could cover what we’d done—or what was coming. Callista stood beside me on the ridge, arms crossed as she watched the last of the fires smolder in the broken carcasses of Cassian’s supply wagons. "He'll retaliate," she said simply. "Good," I replied, not looking away from the ruins. "Let him waste time chasing ghosts." Below us, our soldiers moved efficiently, salvaging weapons, rations, even the horses Cassian's men had left behind. Every scrap mattered now. Kaelos’s voice rang clear over the mind-link. *We've confirmed the last column fell. Casualties are low. Morale is high.* *That won’t last,* I answered. *Not when he starts pushing back.* *Then we push harder.* We didn’t linger. By nightfall, we were already moving back toward Blackthorne’s western wall, taking a longer, loope