The Imperial Tower Hotel rose above the harbor like a monument to people who never apologized. Its marble facade overlooked the Atlantic shoreline, where black water crashed…

Cold rain fell as if the sky itself had been broken open. It poured over Ashkar’s central plaza, turning the stone roads into black mirrors and filling…

Rain had soaked the county roads all morning by the time Walter Mercer parked his aging pickup truck behind St. Aldwyn County School. The vehicle coughed twice…

The city moved too fast to notice hungry children. Cars flooded the downtown streets in endless streams of noise while office workers crossed intersections carrying expensive coffee…

Rain slammed against the towering fortress of Ashkar like an army trying to break through stone. Inside the war hall, fear spread faster than fire. Generals shouted…

The massive stone arena of Ashkar shook beneath the roar of thousands. Black royal banners cracked violently in the winter wind while drums thundered across the colossal…

The rain arrived before dawn over the western fortress of Ashkar. Cold Atlantic winds swept through the mountain citadel while dark clouds rolled above the black sea…

Storm winds screamed through the shattered stained-glass windows of Dreadmoor Castle like voices trapped beneath the earth. Inside the throne chamber, thousands of candles flickered violently against…

Rain fell as if the sky itself had been wounded. It hammered against the Imperial Citadel in silver sheets, drowning the capital beneath thunder, mud, and fear….