Page 64

Soon, the rising sun will paint the sky.

The city’s battered ramparts will reveal the cost of this siege.

But we remain. I look at the cluster of unconscious Red Purna leaders.

I vow to find a way to reach them, to remind them purna were once guardians, not harbingers of genocide.

If they can’t be redeemed, I’ll bind them as needed. No more mindless destruction.

Some part of me wonders if I can truly unify Orthani’s survivors and rebellious purna under a single banner.

Perhaps that’s the next step. For now, I revolve around the raw surge of victory, the exhilaration coursing through me as my men gather.

Eryx returns, sheathing scimitars, stifling a grin.

Vaelith stands tall, halberd resting on a scorched pillar, surveying the battered courtyard.

Zareth finishes checking the wounded, then glances at me with quiet reverence.

I catch each man’s gaze, feeling the heat of shared triumph.

Sparks fly between us, the memory of our nights together fueling a sense of fierce bond.

We overcame centuries of Orthani tradition, we overcame the Red Purna’s mania.

My breath catches at the thought of the private union that might follow this carnage, how we might collapse together in one trembling conflagration of relief and desire.

But that can wait until we secure Ai and calm the city.

Reaching for calm, I address the scattering of onlookers—Orthani soldiers, lesser nobles, even a few human laborers who crept from the shadows.

“No more bloodshed. Gather the injured. Orthani stands, but under new terms. If you wish to keep living in fear and subjugation, you’ll find yourselves out of place. ”

They exchange wary glances, uncertain how to respond.

My chest constricts, realizing how daunting the next days will be.

This is just the first step. The old order quakes, but forging a new path demands more than slaying old enemies.

Still, I cling to the raw elation of our success tonight.

We averted a total meltdown, forced Orthani’s old ways into question, and toppled the Red Purna’s rampage.

I motion for my men to convene. They gather around me in a circle of soot and broken stone. Eryx gently touches my arm, voice low. “We did it, Selene. You truly overcame them all.”

Vaelith inclines his head, stoic pride gleaming in his eyes. “Orthani owes its survival to you.”

Zareth bows slightly, tension slipping from his shoulders. “Your might is undeniable. I—there’s no going back for me now. I stand with you.”

A flicker of warmth surges. The memory of their bodies pressed to mine, their vow to share me on my terms, merges with the present.

We stand, battered but unbroken, a testament to what we can accomplish together.

My heart clenches, realizing that we truly are forging a new era.

“Thank you,” I say softly, scanning each face.

“We saved this city from a pointless slaughter. That must be enough for tonight.”

Eryx smirks, leaning in. “And tomorrow, we see if the city kneels to you as well.”

A quiver of possibility stirs in me, half anticipation, half dread. “First, we ensure Ai’s safety,” I remind him. “Then we see what remains of Orthani’s council.”

They nod. We break apart, stepping into the light of the new dawn that begins to glow at the horizon’s edge.

Smoke still hangs heavy, but the roar of battle fades to scattered skirmishes.

I sense the hush of shock settling over the city.

Houses emerge from hiding, uncertain whether to rebuild or fear a new wave of violence.

In that hush, I stand at the center, with Vaelith, Eryx, and Zareth forming an impromptu guard.

My body aches, blood crusting on my sleeve from a shallow cut, yet I feel alive.

We overcame the siege. We denied the Red Purna their monstrous gambit, protected Ai, and shattered Orthani’s illusions.

If the old power structure remains in disarray, so be it.

I step onto a fallen column, scanning the horizon where a sliver of sun peeks through.

We stopped the unstoppable, without slaughtering all the Red Purna.

A small group of humans—slaves, perhaps—peeks from behind a collapsed archway.

They stare at me with wide eyes, caught between hope and terror.

I beckon them gently. “It’s safe now.” They inch closer.

My mind conjures an image of a future Orthani that treats them as equals, not property.

The conviction in me solidifies: I must shape Orthani into something better.

As the first rays of morning light spill over the rubble, I exhale, letting the tension slip from my limbs.

The city’s silence is broken only by the crackle of dying flames and the groans of wounded.

We have so much work to do—healing rifts, forging new laws, reining in the council.

But for now, I take one precious moment to bask in the knowledge that we survived.

The Red Purna’s leaders lie unconscious or disarmed, the city still stands, and I remain unclaimed by either side.

Vaelith, Eryx, and Zareth join me atop the broken column.

The hush around us feels electric. We watch as smoke drifts into the sunrise, scattering orange rays across the battered courtyard.

A fleeting sense of triumph coils through me.

I turn to them, voice soft but resonant: “We did it. Orthani’s fate is ours to decide now. ”

Zareth nods, eyes reflecting uncertainty. “You lead us, Selene. Just say the word.”

Eryx chuckles, draping an arm across my shoulders. “I like the sound of that. Let’s see the council try to cage us now.”

Vaelith stands on my other side, silent, his presence warm and strong. “They’ll kneel,” he murmurs, echoing the vow we once reversed. “Or they’ll break.”

My heart races, acknowledging the path we tread.

Ai’s prophecy resonates: I refused to let Orthani burn, so now I must shape it.

I glance from one man to the next, remembering how each once threatened me, and how I bound them to my cause.

The city is no different. If I can command these three, maybe I can command an entire realm.

The thought both exhilarates and terrifies me. But I won’t shy away.

Standing amid the ruins, bruised and bloodstained, I lift my head to the rising sun.

“Let’s gather the survivors, see to the wounded,” I tell them, my voice cutting through the smoky dawn.

“Then we speak to the city—no more hush-hush manipulations. If Orthani’s to be reborn, we must claim it openly. ”

They nod, stepping off the column in unison.

Smoke curls around our ankles as we descend into the courtyard, back into the realm of battered elves, frightened humans, subdued purna.

I sense eyes turning our way, uncertain whether to fear or follow.

My men form a protective ring, ensuring no stray Red Purna or panicked soldier attacks me.

A final surge of adrenaline courses through me.

We stand on the brink of forging a new Orthani, forging a new path for purna.

The plan was always infiltration, sabotage—but I’ve found a bigger cause, a bigger identity.

My transformation from fugitive to potential queen looms. And if I can harness the determination in each of these men, there’s nothing to stop me from carving Orthani into a city that fosters alliances instead of carnage.

Steeling my shoulders, I raise my voice once more, letting it echo across the courtyard.

“Hear me, Orthani—both soldiers and purna. This siege ends with neither side triumphant. We stand at a crossroads. Let the old order crumble, and from the ashes, let us build something worthy. You can cling to hatred, or join me in forging a new dawn.”

The hush intensifies, broken only by the crackle of flames and distant cries for medics.

A few battered soldiers lower their weapons, expressions softened by the realization we saved the city from absolute ruin.

Humans creeping from hiding look to me with hope shining in eyes that once held only fear.

Even some purna, bruised and disillusioned, glimpse a path away from endless war.

I exhale, heart hammering. My words spark a possibility, but the details remain uncertain.

Yet we took the first step: stopping the bloodshed, subduing both factions who sought to enslave or destroy.

Now we shape Orthani together, rewriting the fate that once trapped me.

My men stand at my back, unwavering, each devoted in his own twisted way.

In that moment, with sunlight breaking through the smoke, I realize we’ve truly declared that I won’t bow to either Orthani or the Red Purna.

Instead, I’ll lead them, on my terms, forging an empire of my own design.

And as the first rays of dawn kiss my cheeks, I vow: Orthani will never be the same.

Let them call me purna queen or heretic—I no longer care.

I have my vessels, my cause, and the city’s future in my grasp.

Let the old power structure crumble. Let a new age begin.