The Council chamber trembled beneath the weight of voices trying to rise above one another. Every councilor had the same hunger hidden behind their polished words: control. The moment the Golden, Silver, and Bronze Armies were announced, their eyes gleamed with calculation. If they could not control Bao Bao directly, they would control his armies, and through them, Firelonia itself.
Naelith and Veylara stood behind Bao Bao, one on each side, silent but watching. Naelith kept her hands folded, jaw tight. Veylara's arms were crossed, her gaze sharp enough to cut stone. They were united only in one thing: they trusted the Council less than the ash storms.
Bao Bao raised one hand and the chamber stilled. He could feel the currents of power in the room—subtle, shifting, dangerous—and he cut straight through them.
"Firelonia needs leaders forged in loyalty, not ambition," he said. "The armies will not be controlled by this chamber. They will answer to the crown, and the crown alone."
That was when it happened—Naelith and Veylara both felt the tension between them snap. The Council's whispers rose again, and Naelith leaned closer to the King.
"He's choosing himself. Of course he is," Veylara muttered too softly for the councilors to hear, but Naelith heard it clearly.
Naelith turned slightly toward her. "He is choosing the one person he trusts most," she said. "You should understand that. You taught him half his discipline."
"And you taught him the other half?" Veylara's eyes didn't blink.
Bao Bao heard them both but didn't acknowledge it. Not yet. He stepped forward.
"I will lead the Golden Army."
Gasps scattered. Murmurs exploded. Councilor Sorell slammed a hand on the table, demanding the right to vote, but Bao Bao continued without looking her way.
"The Silver Army will be commanded by Kaelis Stonehide of the Mountain-Fang clan."
The uproar doubled. Barok Stonehide's son? A rebel heir? Naelith watched their panic without blinking. Veylara's expression remained unreadable, though a faint lift of her brow suggested approval.
Kaelis entered then, called by Bao Bao's earlier request. His presence filled the room—broad-shouldered, stone-marked, eyes carved from mountain shadow. He bowed.
"I serve Firelonia," he said. "Not the factions that seek to pull it apart."
Naelith almost smiled. Almost.
Bao Bao continued before anyone could object again.
"The Bronze Army will be led by Torren Wyemfall."
This time the shock was quieter—Torren was young, tactical, and famously unpredictable. He stepped forward, light-footed and sharp-eyed, clothed in windswept leathers from the eastern ridges. His bow was crisp.
"I will make the Bronze an army that adapts faster than any enemy can predict."
The Council erupted again, but Bao Bao silenced them with a single gesture.
"Additionally," he said, "I am choosing a strategist who answers only to the throne. Firelonia's new Royal Strategist will guide all armies, all defenses, all responses. Their duty is to the kingdom, not the Council."
The silence that followed was dangerous. Naelith felt eyes digging into her. Veylara felt them, too.
Bao Bao met their gazes—first Naelith, then Veylara—and both women stiffened, expecting their names.
But Bao Bao chose neither.
"I appoint Scribe-Master Lyrin Thorne as my strategist."
Shock spread again—the one man the Council could never manipulate, a long-time scholar who valued truth over power.
The Council was cornered, Bao Bao had secured the three armies, and for a moment, Firelonia belonged to its King again.
But the moment the chamber emptied, the tension between Naelith and Veylara finally broke open.
Veylara spoke first. "You didn't choose either of us. Why?"
Naelith answered before Bao Bao could. "Because choosing one of us would declare a side."
Veylara turned sharply to her. "You think this is about sides?"
"Everything is," Naelith said. "Especially when the King matters to both of us."
Bao Bao exhaled, shoulders heavy, and both women noticed.
"This is not the time," he said, quieter than either expected. "The Starless Legion is already moving. The Council wants to seize control of the new armies. Firelonia is on the edge of fracture."
Naelith lowered her head. "We know. But truths between us needed to be spoken."
Veylara stepped forward, her voice steady. "So here is mine. I have loved him longer than I understood. I will not lie about it anymore."
Naelith's eyes didn't waver. "And I will not pretend I don't. But Firelonia comes first. Always."
Bao Bao stared between them—two powerful women who loved him, two forces that could either hold Firelonia together or tear it apart.
Before he could respond, a deep tremor shook the palace floor.
A shadow passed over the light.
And the warning horn sounded from the western towers—the Starless Legion was on the move again.
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If you want, I can go straight into Chapter 28 with: • The first clash between the new armies and the Starless
• The Council's attempt to seize command
• Naelith, Veylara, and Bao Bao forced to stand together
• Or the first appearance of a Starless General