Chapter 5 - Fire on the River
The icy waters of the Valora River rushed beneath the rotting wooden dock, churning white against the stone pylons as the storm continued to batter the valley. Elise scrambled out of the drainage pipe, her wool tunic soaked through and shivering violently, followed closely by the elderly archbishop.
Waiting in the shadows of the dock was an old man leaning on a gnarled walking stick, holding the rope of a small, weather-beaten fishing boat.
"Hurry," the boatman rasped, his face hidden beneath a deep hooded cloak. "The iron gates upriver have been lifted. The queen’s patrol boats are already sweeping the banks."
Elise climbed into the swaying wooden craft, the archbishop stepping in carefully behind her. As the boatman untied the mooring rope and pushed off into the churning current, a sudden burst of red light illuminated the cliffs above.
"Look!" the archbishop gasped, pointing toward the castle walls.
A massive column of crimson fire shot into the night sky from the highest tower of the keep—the signal fire of martial law. Across the city, answering beacons flared from every watchtower, turning the dark rainy night into an eerie, blood-red day.
"She’s mobilizing the entire garrison," the boatman muttered, pulling hard on the wooden oars to steer them away from the center of the river. "If they catch us on the open water, we won't even make it to the outer province."
Elise looked down at her left arm. The three silver stars were no longer just glowing; they were casting a brilliant, steady starlight through her sleeve that cut through the darkness like a beacon.
"Put that out if you can!" the boatman panicked. "It's shining like a lantern!"
"I can't control it," Elise said, pressing her palm over the mark in vain.
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Suddenly, a massive shape loomed out of the fog ahead—a heavy iron-plated patrol barge bearing the crimson banner of Queen Marcelline, its deck bristling with crossbowmen.
"Halt in the name of the Queen!" a harsh voice bellowed across the water.
