The Gembound: The Price of Keeping Chapter 113: Volume 4: Chapter 104 – The Circle Holds

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Volume 4: Chapter 104 – The Circle Holds The morning after the pyre dawned gray and quiet. Not peaceful. The city was too bruised for that. But the screaming had stopped. That counted for something. Yara stood on the palace steps, cloak drawn tight against the chill that seeped up from the stone. Smoke still threaded the air from a dozen places where fires had not yet been fully tamed. The northern tower leaned at a tired angle. Roof tiles lay smashed in the courtyards. Somewhere, a wall creaked as if deciding whether it intended to stand the day. But people were moving. Ferric regulars and Aramore veterans worked side by side, hauling rubble into piles, shoring up half-fallen facades with scavenged beams. A group of city children had formed an informal bucket line to carry water from a still-working well, taking it very seriously until Daryl tripped theatrically in front of them and turned it into a game. Laughter cracked the chill for a moment, raw but honest. Rosa had bullied the palace kitchens into life. The smell of broth drifted across the courtyard, thin but honest. Someone had found onions, dried beans, and barley. It would never be enough for everyone, but it was a start. Soldiers cupped their bowls like treasure. Eldania was wounded. But it was alive. Boots scraped on stone behind Yara. She did not turn until the footsteps stopped at a respectful distance. "General," a voice said. She turned. Borin Stonefist waited at the base of the steps, helmet under his arm. Cedric and Alys flanked him, one on each side. All three wore clean armor now, freshly fitted to bodies that no longer shook, melted, or misaligned. They stood with the careful stillness of people still surprised that standing did not hurt. Borin had the stocky solidity of a dwarf who had spent most of his life in armor and in command of a ledger at the same time. Broad shoulders, scarred knuckles, a nose that had clearly met a mace at least once. His beard was braided in a simple marshal’s pattern, one that said: this one keeps counts and corridors in order, not crowns. "There are more," Borin said. Yara waited. He did not make her chase the thought. "Enhanced. The Crown Mage’s work. Falling apart." His jaw set. "We knew some of them. Served with them before Lord Ashenwill began his experiments. Before he started calling it a blessing." Cedric nodded. The young man’s face was still a little too pale, but his eyes were clear. "They are hiding now. Scared. Dying slow." Alys folded her hands behind her back like a soldier in front of inspection. Her fingers still twitched sometimes, feeling the absence of the pain that had lived there for months. "We can feel them through the binding now," she said softly. "Not strong. Like echoes in another room. But we know they are there." Yara glanced past them. Harry stood by the cracked fountain in the center of the courtyard, hands braced on the stone rim, head tilted as if listening for something only he could hear. His scales caught the thin light in brass and gold, the green-gold glow behind his eyes dim but steady. He was staring north. He did that often now. "Five that we know of for certain," Alys said. "Maybe more, if we search deeper. But five we can find today." Yara nodded once. "Harry," she called. He lifted his head, attention snapping back to the courtyard. The pull toward the mountain did not vanish, but he turned away from it and walked to her, claws clicking against the stone. The soldiers automatically stepped back to give him room. They had watched him swallow a shard of god yesterday. Respect came easily after that. "We need you," Yara said. Harry did not ask for what. He looked at Borin. "More of Theodric’s?" he asked. Borin inclined his head. "Aye. The ones the Crown Mage touched early and badly. We thought they were blessed. Then we watched them come apart." He met Harry’s eyes squarely. "We can find them, now that we know what to feel for." Harry rolled his shoulders. The movement sent a faint rip