Once the pile near Casimir had grown to the height of several men, the soldiers made their way back into their block formation, and the prince stepped forward. He gave the onlooking crowd of remnants an almost cheery smile before lighting a match and setting the materials on fire.

It was a testament to the strength and endurance of the people around her that not one of them made a sound. They did not cry or scream or give Casimir whatever other reaction he had hoped for. They only watched as the last of what they had burned.

Smoke made Aurora’s eyes tear up, but she did not look away. She would not.

When the fire built to a large inferno, Casimir stepped in front of it, as though he had been waiting for it to reach its full height before using it as his backdrop.

“Whatever it is you were hoping for, you will not find it here. So go back to wherever you came from. You will not bring your scourge into my city.”

Aurora jerked at his words. Kiran had told her how some reacted to remnants, that they called them a scourge and treated them like a disease that would somehow bring bad luck along with them. But to hear it spoken by someone who should have known better was disgusting. Casimir was a Stormling. He knew the workings of storms better than anyone here, and he knew that these people held no blame in what happened to them. Storms were indiscriminate in their destruction. Or rather, natural storms were. The ones the Stormlord brought were an entirely different matter because they answered to him, but still these people were clearly just cannon fodder in a larger war. A war that had seemingly started in Locke, and now had made its way here.

And that he had called Pavan his?

Seething, she turned around to face Kiran and found him staring at the Locke prince with a hardness in his eyes that she had never seen before. It was possible he hated that family even more than she. Aurora said, “We need to find a way inside the city. Fast.”

Two nights later it was time to make their move. They had left the Rock hidden deep in the woods, hoping that would be enough to keep it safe. Aurora had cried as they released their horses to the wilds. Honey had tried to follow her to the remnant camp, but listened when Aurora ordered her to stay. For so long, that horse had been her only company, her only solace. She hated leaving her behind. But it was impossible to take her with them.

The night died a thousand deaths as they waited for the perfect moment. Again and again, the dark sky lit up like the world itself was splitting at the seams. Perhaps it was.