In the carriage, Velira lifts the curtain, her eyes burning as she sees the faces of her people shift from joy to dread. Cries ripple through the crowd as families search the ranks.
"Where is my husband?"
"My son! Where is he?"
"Lira! Lira, answer me!"
A woman collapses to her knees, clutching her baby as she wails, the warrior she searched for nowhere in sight. A boy screams his brother's name until his voice cracks.
Velira's chest tightens. Her lips tremble. She whispers, almost to herself, "They were waiting for heroes." Her hands ball into fists. "And we brought them ghosts."
Muv exhales, her voice low but steady. "This is the truth of war, Lady Velira. Glory lasts a moment. Grief lasts a lifetime."
Velira turns sharply to her, pain and anger mingling in her voice. "Then what do I tell them? That their husbands, their sons, their daughters—died for nothing?"
