The sky cracked like shattered glass above the borderlands.
Claire sat still, frozen atop the carriage, her fingers clenching the leather reins tight enough to draw blood. Before her, the mighty fleet of the Empire—the dreadnoughts of sky and fire, layered in celestial metals and brimming with infernal magic—was now no more than smoldering ash. A monstrous shadow tore through the clouds, painting them with streaks of blue flame.
The air trembled.
The sound came not like thunder, but like the tearing of the veil between life and death.
