CHAPTER 4 — Smiles Before the Storm
Kael met **Erynd Vale** the next morning.
Erynd was everything Kael was not—confident, sharp-tongued, and impossibly skilled. He laughed easily, fought beautifully, and spoke of knighthood as if it were already his destiny.
"You swing like you're afraid of hurting the air," Erynd said, blocking Kael's strike with ease.
"I don't want to fight to kill," Kael replied.
Erynd smiled—but it didn't reach his eyes.
"That's good," he said. "The Crown needs boys like you."
They became friends quickly.
Too quickly.
Kael didn't notice how Erynd listened more than he spoke.
Didn't notice how instructors favored him.
Didn't notice how letters sealed in gold wax bore Erynd's name.
Above Valenhold, storm clouds gathered.
And far beneath the academy, something ancient finished waking up.
It had found its hero.
And its sacrifice.