Back in the war room, he relayed everything Selene had revealed. This announcement struck like a thunderclap.
"Kidnapped?" Kael repeated, eyes narrowing. "When? How could we not have known?"
Dain stood, pacing. "Can we even trust Selene?"
"I don't know," Ruvan muttered, arms crossed tightly. "It could be a trap. This sounds too good to be true."
"What reason could she possibly have to lie?" Thornak asked. "I believe her, Selene is many things but not a betrayer."
Aedric looked up, his gaze steely. "I think we'd be fools not to prepare for betrayal. But if what she says is true, if the Queen has been kidnapped, we can't ignore it. Not now. Not after everything."
Dain growled under his breath. "Even if it's true, walking into enchanted territory? The Prince and a powerful sorcerer? We'll be at a disadvantage the moment we cross the threshold."
"That's why we need Miri," Thornak said. "She's been inside. She knows the magic that guards it."
Kael looked unconvinced. "And we're trusting a girl we've never seen before?"
"No," Thornak said, voice low and iron. "You're trusting me."
Silence fell over the war room.
He then went further to tell them about Nyalei.
Dain shook his head, eyes narrowing. "A pact with the sea court… That's not an alliance. That's a binding. They've traded something."
Ruvan folded his arms, his tone grim. "yes merfolk don't offer help without a price. If they're backing him, we're already behind."
He turned to Dain.
"Call the war council," Thornak ordered, his voice hard as stone. "I want them convened immediately. We don't wait for an attack, we prepare to strike."
Dain gave a sharp nod. "Yes, my King."
The room shifted instantly. The air changed. This was no longer a conversation. It was the beginning of war.
....
After the war council dispersed, tension still clung to the air like the echo of distant thunder. Maps had been marked, contingents assigned, and watchfires lit in minds and hearts alike. But not all questions had been voiced in the chamber.
Thornak remained at the long table, fingers pressed to the edge, gaze dark and unfocused.
Lord Edrion approached first, his footsteps soft but deliberate. Alpha Ren followed close behind, his heavy frame moving with the quiet grace of a seasoned warrior. When they stopped before the king, the chamber felt smaller, the silence more pointed.
Edrion spoke first. "You gave them a bold strategy, Thornak."
Thornak's eyes lifted slowly. "We don't have the luxury of caution."
Ren folded his arms. "Still… it's unlike you to bet the board on a single stroke. That infiltration route you proposed, through the Hollow Ridge, bypassing the high pass, that's a calculated risk."
"A necessary one," Thornak replied. "If we go head-on, we bleed before we ever breach the walls."
Edrion's brow furrowed. "You're gambling on terrain we've not used since the border wars."
"I'm not gambling," Thornak said evenly. "I'm making sure we survive. Selene's information is the first real advantage we've had. We can't waste it. And we'll have Miri guide us through the hidden warding."
Ren exchanged a glance with Edrion. "You trust that girl?"
"I trust the Queen's sacrifice," Thornak answered. "And I trust what I saw in Selene's eyes. Whatever she endured, it changed her. She didn't come back to trick us, she came back to fight."
Edrion's jaw tightened, thoughtful. "Then we ride on your command. Just make sure the rest of them are ready. Because if we're wrong…"
"We're not," Thornak said, standing tall. "And even if we were, there's no turning back."
Lord Edrion's voice dropped as he stepped closer. "Have you considered informing the Starborn?"
Thornak gave a short nod. "Lara will reach out to her grandfather today."
Alpha Ren exchanged a glance with Edrion. "Good. We'll need them. If Valemir moves with the backing of the Tideborn and dark magic, we won't stand a chance alone."
Edrion's expression remained guarded. "Still... the Starborn don't move lightly. Even with blood ties, they'll want proof. And they'll want to know what we intend to do."
"They'll have it," Thornak nodded. "Every scrap of intelligence we've gathered. But I won't wait for their approval to defend Vargorath."
"Nor should you," said Ren. "But if the Starborn come, this becomes more than a border war. It becomes history."
Thornak's eyes darkened. "It already is."
The King's private garden was still at twilight. Moonlight poured like silver over the marble paths and tall hedges, catching in the dew-laced petals of sleeping blooms. The air smelled of jasmine and cedarwood, heavy with old magic and memory.
Lara stood at the heart of it, the grass cool beneath her boots, the wind tugging at her cloak. Thornak was at her side, a steady presence carved of stone and shadow. Behind them stood Dain, Ruvan, Aedric, and Lord Edrion, their expressions solemn, their silence thick with the weight of what was coming.
She took a breath and lifted her hands, holding the moonstone her grandfather had given to her. She spoke, not loud, but steady and clear.
"Virel'an Elaros."
Which in Starborn means come forth, Elaros.
At first, nothing happened. Then the wind changed. The garden grew quiet, as if holding its breath. From the clouds above, a flash of silver appeared, then wide, strong wings. The bird flew in slow, powerful circles, each movement smooth and steady.
He was almost as tall as Lara, just a little shorter. His wings were twice her height when spread. His feathers were grey with a soft gleam, touched with silver like moonlight. His body was slim but strong, and he moved with the quiet pride of something ancient, like the phoenixes from old stories, though he held no fire. His eyes were sharp and clear, like stars shining through ice.
Elaros. A gift from her grandfather, his personal messenger, bound by ancient trust. He answers only to the king. Now, he answers to her as well.
He circled once, then landed softly in front of her. His talons clicked gently against the stone, and he folded his wings with quiet grace, standing still beside her like a guardian.
He bowed to Lara, as one might to a queen.
The garden stilled, every gaze fixed on the falcon in silent awe.
Lara stepped forward, her fingers drawing a rolled scroll from within her cloak. A message sealed in her own hand, marked with the symbol only the Starborn would heed. She affixed it to the silver band upon Elaros's leg.
With a single mighty beat of his wings, he launched into the air, a comet cutting through the dark, rising higher and higher until he vanished.
"They know how to make an entrance," Aedric murmured, eyes on the sky. "So the legends weren't just stories after all."
Edrion watched the sky, his voice almost reverent. "They will answer. They must."
And Thornak, eyes still fixed where the falcon had gone, said only, "The war begins."
Lara watched the sky for a moment longer, then turned to the others. "So… what now?"
Thornak's voice was low but firm. "We move with our plans. At dawn."
Dain shifted his stance, arms crossed. "Why am I still uncomfortable with this whole idea?"
"Because," Lord Edrion said, "we've never fought a battle like this before. Not in our lifetimes."
Lara looked between them, her brow drawn. "What danger do the Tideborn bring, truly?"
Edrion's expression darkened.
"They sing, and men forget who they are. Whole ranks turn on their own, thinking they're fighting the enemy. It's not just illusion it's seduction. Magic woven through melody."
He paused, jaw tight.
"And their royals… they need no oceans. Any drop of moisture will do. Fog, sweat, dew, they shape it into blades, whips, spears. Even the air becomes a weapon in their hands."
Edrion's eyes narrowed. "Power drawn from the deep places of the world."
Thornak added, "And if Valemir has allied with them, we're not just facing soldiers. We're facing forces that bend the laws of nature."
Aedric gave a low whistle. "The only way to fight them is with silence. Wax in every ear."
Thornak said, "And teeth at their throats. We strike before the first note leaves their lips."
Lara's grip tightened on the edge of her cloak. "Then we hunt at dawn."