Ethan rested his chin on his hand, deep in thought.
"Sol'Rakka… Is it a place? A ruler's name? Or something that shouldn't exist in this world at all?"
He was still lost in that spiral when Elira came running, clutching the remains of the giant bird in one arm and a rolled-up parchment in the other.
"Master, I found this," she said, breathless. "On the map… Sol'Rakka doesn't look like just a desert. It's more like—some kind of sacred kingdom buried deep in the sea of sand."
Ethan took the map, and his brow twitched.
The spark of curiosity caught fire.
But he didn't let it burn away his reason.
Emerald Castle had taken years to build into what it was now. If Sol'Rakka was powerful enough to drive an envoy to suicide, then it might be strong enough to wipe out everything he'd built.
He wasn't about to march his army into a death trap.
So he made the call, fast and clean.
