The Sunsinger Estate was in chaos. Soldiers and servants swarmed the courtyard, tending to the wounded and clearing bodies. The ground was cratered and littered with rubble, with tents and supply piles everywhere. Overhead, storm demons patrolled the skies, earning uneasy glances from the men below. Near the outer wall, the ruins of a skyship spilled splintered wood and smoldering metal across the street, its hull charred and cracked.
A group of mage soldiers saluted as we passed through the gates. Luke gathered me in his arms and slid off Fable's back, gently setting my feet on the ground. I leaned back against him, grateful for his arms, which he kept around my waist, hugging me from behind.
"Welcome home, my Lady," their leader said, his salute crisp. "We saw the light. Is it over?"
"Both the Divine and Noble houses have fallen," I said.
