ATASHA’S POV


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    “Your highness, we can manage the travel on our own, I have already made arrangements, the Lord will be transported with security. It would be dangerous mydy. You don’t have to personally-”


    “Do you know why I chose to punish Lady Reina, Mendez?” I asked.


    “I- Isn’t it because you wanted to establish your authority in the north?” he asked.


    “It was partly because of that.” I looked outside the carriage. This would be my first time seeing the wall that separates the north from thend of the fae’s. I wonder if it was big. “It’s because I don’t want the rumor to continue as well.”


    Finally I turned at Cassian who was asleep next to me. “It’s because I want time.”


    “Time?”


    “I want to confuse them, make them think Lord Cassian pampers me and is letting me do these things. In that way, they would be reluctant to make a move against me.”


    Mendez stared at me as I added. “I wanted to keep him safe,” I said. “The only reason he agreed to let me stay by his side was because of my ability. I see no reason why I shouldn’t use that ability on him.”


    From afar, I began to hear the sh of steel and guttural growls. The sound carried across the cold wind, heavy and violent. I shifted to the window and froze at the sight before me.


    The northern wall stretched across the horizon like a colossal scar of ck stone. It gleamed faintly under the pale light, not dull but almost metallic, as if every b had been polished to repel whatever tried to break it.


    The structure loomed impossibly high, the top lined with warriors, werewolves in full armor, their silhouettes sharp against the sky. Some crouched with bows drawn, others leaned against pikes longer than a man’s height, all of them radiating the steady readiness of soldiers used to holding the line.


    At the center of the wall stood a towering gate, ck and seamless. Even from here, I could see its thickness. The wood was reinforced with iron bands, but it was more than simple metal. It looked unyielding, built to withstand siege after siege.


    Mendez followed my gaze. “The wall is ck because it is reinforced with fae stones,” he exined. “Those stones can absorb and resist the elements. Fire, earthquakes, frost, it doesn’t matter. This wall is a shield that separates two worlds. On one side, us. On the other…


    everything else.”


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    My eyes traced the perimeter, and I noticed the smaller structures scattered on top of the wall. Watchtowers, bunkhouses, outposts standing like teeth against thend beyond.


    Growls echoed again, deeper this time.I couldn’t see what was behind that wall but I could <i>see </i>sparks flew as des struck, the ng of weapons biting into flesh and armor filling the air.


    Mendez’s voice cut through the noise. “Every warrior here uses specialized weapons. Steel forged and reinforced with fae stones. We cannot wield the elements as the fae do, but when their stones are bound to our des, spears, and arrows, they hold greater strength. Stronger, sharper, deadlier. It’s the only way to match the tide.”


    The carriage jolted as it came to a stop.


    Mendez turned to me immediately. “Stay in the carriage, mydy. It isn’t safe.”


    I shook my head and pushed the door open before he could protest further. “No. I’ming with you.”


    He scowled. “This isn’t a ce for you-”


    “This is exactly where I should be,” I cut in. “He is here, and I will not sit behind ss while others fight for him.”


    We got off the carriage and were immediately weed by the thick smell of blood and something else… something I didn’t recognize.


    “Physician Mendez!” A tall man strode toward us, his boots heavy against the stone. His uniform was spattered with fresh stains, a streak of blue blood running down one side of his face.


    The mark contrasted sharply with the scar that cut across his throat, running dangerously close to his jawline. It <i>looked </i>as though a de had once tried to silence him permanently but failed.


    His hair was a pale blond, cropped short, and his eyes were a striking blue, so clear they resembled the sea. For a moment his gaze swept over me, unreadable, until Mendez gestured toward my side.


    “This is the Princess Consort,” Mendez said inly.


    The man stiffened. His back straightened instantly before he bowed at the waist, his arm pressed across his chest. “Your Highness.”


    Mendez gave a short nod. “All of the lieutenants know of her.”


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    I inclined my head in acknowledgment, studying him more closely. His presence radiated the same hardened confidence I’d seen in Lucas and Rio, but there was something else in his eyes, a tension that hadn’t left.


    “This is Lieutenant Sivi,” Mendez added. “He did not apany us to the south but he mostly knew everything that happened.”


    Sivi’s gaze flicked toward Cassian’s still form inside the carriage before settling back on Mendez. “We cannot cross right now,” he said. “There’s an attack outside the wall. To step beyond the gates now would be suicide. The beasts are going insane. Their numbers rise by the day. No matter how many we cut down, more keeping. Moreover, the soldiers this time encounter some weird sickness.”


    The sounds of the battle beyond the ck gate grew louder, almost as if to underline his words. Growls, the sh of steel, and the distant shouts of men holding the line.


    Mendez’s expression darkened. “Sickness? Exin yourself.”


    Sivi’s jaw flexed. “It started with the younger soldiers stationed on the outermost posts, two days ago. Skin paling, fingertips ckening, lips turning blue. At first, we thought it was frostbite, but the clothing issued is thick enough to withstand colder winds than what we’re facing now. These men were dressed properly, armed properly, and still fell. It doesn’t keep us bedridden, but it keeps us weak.”


    My brow furrowed. “So it isn’t frostbite?”


    “No, Your Highness,” Sivi said, shaking his head. “It starts in patches, creeping across the arms and face. They do not copse, but their breath clouds white even indoors, as if something inside them is freezing from within. We suspect it’s something in the air, but we can’t confirm it. None of the healers has seen it before.”


    Mendez’s frown deepened, his mind already moving. “How many cases?”


    Sivi’s expression tightened. “Dozens, perhaps more. We’ve pulled them back from the walls and isted them in the outpost chambers, but the number grows every day. And all while the beasts outside swell in greater numbers. It’s as though both the sickness and the attacks are working in tandem.”


    I met Mendez’s eyes, unease settling heavy in my chest. It felt as though every step forward only uncovered another obstacle, one problem stacking on top of thest without end.