Chapter 17
The sky had turned into a battlefield. Dragons tore through the clouds like living storms, their wings cutting through smoke and fire as flames clashed above the hidden city. Roars rolled across the mountains, shaking stone and echoing through the valley. Below, the palace terraces burned, smoke rising thick into the air and turning every breath heavy.
Ash drifted down over broken marble and scorched gold, coating everything in gray. The city no longer looked sacred or untouchable. It looked wounded, like something ancient had finally been dragged into a war it could not avoid. Heat pressed against Ariana's skin, but even that felt distant compared to the weight building in her chest. Even the air felt wrong, like the world itself was holding its breath, waiting for something worse to come.
Then everything changed.
