Chapter 16 - Shadows of the Eastern Border
While the capital celebrated the dawn of a new golden age, miles away across the jagged peaks of the Dragontooth Mountains, a darker tide was stirring.
In a hidden military encampment nestled deep within a rocky canyon, a disgraced high-ranking general named Kaelen unrolled a map of the western provinces by the light of a flickering campfire. Kaelen had fled the capital just before Malakor’s arrest, taking with him a battalion of elite temple guards who refused to surrender to the new regime.
"The capital is weak," Kaelen announced to his assembled captains, his voice hardened by bitterness and ambition. "The boy king has surrendered his power to a common witch. They talk of peace, of shared governance, of open granaries. But peace makes empires soft."
A burly captain with a jagged scar across his cheek stepped forward. "General, the royal cavalry patrols have expanded their radius. If we march toward the valley now, we will be intercepted before we cross the river."
"We will not march openly," Kaelen sneered, tapping a finger on a narrow mountain pass marked in red ink. "We will use the old smuggling routes through the Whispering Gorge. The storm dragon is still young, and the Rainkeeper has not yet fully synchronized with the elemental core of the entire continent. If we strike during the next lunar eclipse, while the atmospheric magic is unstable, we can capture the hatchling and hold the capital hostage."
May you like
The captains murmured in agreement, their faces shadowed by the flickering firelight.
Back in the capital, unaware of the gathering storm beyond the mountains, Mira stood on her balcony looking up at the clear night sky, stroking the silver scales of the dragon sleeping beside her. A sudden, cold gust of wind swept across the stone balustrade, carrying an electric charge that made the silver mark on her wrist tingle with an uneasy warning.
