Night pressed down on Liraine, thick with smoke and the metallic scent of spent Vein energy. The city's defenders moved like ghosts through battered streets, tending to wounds, shoring up barricades, and whispering quiet encouragement to one another.
In the Guildhall's war room, the core resistance leaders gathered around a battered table, lantern light flickering over maps and hastily scrawled notes.
Lysara, eyes rimmed red with exhaustion, stabbed a finger at the north quarter on the map. "We reinforce here. If the Dominion pushes again, this is where they'll try to break us."
Garrick, one arm still in a sling, grunted. "I've got Jaxen and the Emberhands welding through the night. We'll have a wall of steel by sunrise, if the Vein gods are kind."
Nalah, her voice hoarse, added, "Marshwalkers are setting new traps in the alleys. We'll slow them, but not stop them. If they bring Vein hounds again, we'll need backup."
Selene, hunched over her harmonizer and a mess of Vein crystals, muttered, "I can reroute emergency power to the clinics and the forges, but I'll need Whisper's weavers to stabilize the lines. The Vein's still raw from today's sabotage."
Whisper, serene behind her mask, nodded. "We will walk the tunnels before dawn. The Vein listens best at night."
Mira, her hands still trembling from hours of healing, poured tea for the group. "I've set up triage in the old schoolhouse. If the wounded can walk, they'll fight. If not, I'll keep them breathing."
Nirael, perched by the window, watched the dark sky. "Skyfarers will fly recon at first light. We're low on firepots, but we'll make do. The Dominion's lost their best stormcaster, but they'll have something new up their sleeve."
Kael listened to them all, pride and worry mingling in his chest. "We survived the first day. That's more than they expected. We'll survive the next, too."
Lysara managed a tired smile. "We're not done yet, Riftborne."
Kael squeezed her shoulder. "Not by a long shot."
As the meeting broke up, Elya slipped in, breathless. "Message from the salt flats. They're holding, but barely. They say if Liraine falls, the Meridian falls."
Garrick growled, "Then we don't fall."
Nalah nodded. "We endure. That's what we do."
The leaders dispersed into the night, each carrying the weight of a city's hope.
---
Across the river, the Dominion's encampment was a hive of activity. Tents glowed with Vein lanterns, and the air was thick with the barked orders of officers and the clatter of armored boots.
In the command tent, Iron Admiral Virell stood before a table of Vein-lit maps, her jaw set. "We underestimated them. Tomorrow, we do not make the same mistake."
Saren Voss entered, his cloak trailing, eyes cold as the Vein stones embedded in his gloves. "The Emberfall Protocol is ready?"
Virell nodded. "We'll cut their power at dawn. No lights, no comms, no water. Their clinics will go dark. Their forges will go cold."
Voss's lips curled in a thin smile. "Good. Let them see what hope costs."
Siraen, the intelligence chief, spoke up. "Our scouts report the Riftborne is leading from the front. If we can isolate him—"
Voss cut her off. "You will. I want Kael Miren alive. The engineer, too. The rest are expendable."
Virell's eyes narrowed. "They'll fight to the last."
Voss's voice was a whisper of steel. "Then let them. We will show the Meridian what happens to those who defy the Dominion."
He swept from the tent, leaving a chill in his wake.
Outside, Dominion soldiers sharpened blades, checked Vein rifles, and whispered rumors of the city's defenders—of the Riftborne's shield, the Skyfarers' fire, the Marshwalkers' traps. Some were afraid. Most were simply tired. All knew tomorrow would be worse.
---
The city was quieter now, the chaos of battle replaced by a tense, exhausted hush. Kael wandered the shadowed corridors of the Guildhall, needing air but finding only the heavy scent of smoke and antiseptic. He paused at the open door of a makeshift clinic, where Mira was tending to a wounded Emberhand, her hands glowing softly with Vein light.
When she finished, Mira stepped outside, rubbing her eyes. She nearly bumped into Kael.
"Sorry," she said, managing a tired smile. "Didn't see you there."
Kael shook his head. "No, I should be the one apologizing. I just needed… to breathe, I guess."
Mira leaned against the wall, sliding down until she was sitting on the cold stone. She patted the spot beside her. "Sit. You look worse than some of my patients."
Kael managed a weak laugh and joined her. For a while, neither spoke. The city's distant sounds—the clang of metal, the low murmur of voices—filled the silence.
Finally, Mira broke it. "You know, I used to be terrified of nights like this. When I was a child, I'd hide under the blankets and pray the Dominion would pass us by. Now I'm the one telling others not to be afraid."
Kael looked at his hands. "I'm supposed to be the one giving people hope. But sometimes I wonder if I'm just pretending. If I'm strong enough for this."
Mira studied him, her gaze gentle but piercing. "You are. Not because you never doubt, but because you care. That's what people see, Kael. Not some perfect hero—just someone who refuses to give up, even when he's scared."
He let out a shaky breath. "I wish I could save everyone."
She rested her head against the wall, closing her eyes. "We do what we can. I lose people every day. But I keep going for the ones I can save. That's all any of us can do."
Kael nodded, the weight in his chest easing just a little. "How do you keep going, Mira? When it feels like the world is falling apart?"
She opened her eyes and smiled, weary but sincere. "I look for the small things. A patient who wakes up. A friend who makes me laugh. The sound of the city's bells, even when they're warning us. I remind myself that as long as we're here, there's something worth fighting for."
He turned to her, gratitude in his eyes. "Thank you. For reminding me."
She nudged his shoulder. "Anytime, Riftborne. Now go get some rest. I need my leader in one piece tomorrow."
He stood, offering her a hand up. "Only if you promise the same."
She took his hand, her grip warm and steady. "Deal."
As they parted ways, Kael felt a little less alone, the darkness outside a little less heavy.
---
Voss stood alone at the riverbank, staring at the city's battered silhouette. He spoke softly, almost to himself. "Tomorrow, the Meridian learns obedience."
Behind him, the Iron Admiral approached. "The men are ready."
Voss didn't turn. "They'd better be. I want no mercy. Not this time."
The Admiral saluted and withdrew, leaving Voss with his thoughts and the cold, restless river.
---
Kael walked the ramparts, passing Marshwalker scouts and Emberhand sentries. He paused at the highest point, looking out over his city.
Selene joined him, silent for a long moment.
She finally spoke. "Do you ever wish you could just run?"
He smiled sadly. "Every day. But if we run, who will stand?"
She leaned against him. "Then let's stand together."
He wrapped an arm around her, drawing strength from her presence and the city's heartbeat.
Below, the bells tolled midnight. Tomorrow, the storm would break again.
But for tonight, Liraine stood—scarred, weary, but unbroken.
---
The city's battered heart pulsed with uneasy quiet. After the council meeting, the resistance leaders scattered to their posts, each carrying the fatigue and hope of the day.
Kael found himself walking the ramparts, lantern in hand, checking on the sentries. He paused at the north barricade, where Garrick and Jaxen worked by the light of a guttering flame.
Garrick looked up, sweat streaking his brow. "You here to supervise, or just can't sleep either?"
Kael managed a half-smile. "Both. You holding up?"
Garrick flexed his bandaged arm. "Mira says I'll live. I say she's a miracle worker. We'll have this wall solid by sunrise, Riftborne. Dominion'll break their teeth on it."
Jaxen chimed in, voice gruff but warm. "If they don't, I'll eat my boots."
Kael chuckled, the sound easing some of the tension in his chest. "Save your boots for marching, Jaxen. We'll need them."
He moved on, checking with Nalah's Marshwalkers as they set new traps in the alleys. Nalah was kneeling beside Sava, showing her how to rig a tripwire with a steady hand.
"Can you sleep at all, Nalah?" Kael asked softly.
She shook her head, not looking up. "Not tonight. Not with what's coming."
He crouched beside her. "You did well today. Arin would be proud."
Nalah's jaw tightened. "We lost too many. But we're ready for tomorrow."
Kael nodded, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "We'll stand together. That's all we can do."
Elsewhere, Mira moved among the wounded, offering gentle words and cool water. She paused at a cot where a young Emberhand slept fitfully.
Selene and Lysara, meanwhile, crawled through the maintenance tunnels, blueprints spread between them. Whisper followed, her masked presence a comfort in the flickering Vein-light.
Selene's voice echoed in the narrow space. "If we reroute the grid here, we can keep the clinics running even if the main line goes."
Lysara nodded. "Smart. I'll cross-check with the old city plans. Whisper, can you reinforce the Vein flow at the junction?"
Whisper pressed her palm to the stone, murmuring a quiet chant. "The Vein will hold. It remembers kindness."
Selene smiled, a rare spark of hope in her eyes. "Thank you, both of you."
The three worked in silence, the only sound the distant rumble of the city and the soft hum of Vein energy.
---
Across the river, the Dominion camp was a hive of activity. Soldiers sharpened blades, checked Vein rifles, and whispered rumors of the city's defenders.
In the command tent, Iron Admiral Virell and Saren Voss reviewed their plans one last time.
Virell's voice was low. "The Emberfall Protocol is set. We cut their power at first light."
Voss's gaze was cold, his words measured. "No mercy. If they resist, burn them out. The Riftborne and the engineer are mine."
Siraen, the intelligence chief, entered with a report. "Our scouts saw movement in the city's tunnels. Their Veinweavers are active. Should we send in the hounds?"
Voss considered. "Wait until the power fails. Then flush them out. I want the city broken by midday."
Virell nodded. "It will be done."
Siraen hesitated. "The men are… uneasy. They say the city fights like it's alive."
Voss's lips curled. "Then let it die screaming."
He dismissed her with a wave. Outside, the soldiers' nerves frayed in the darkness, but the chain of command held. Orders were orders. At dawn, the hammer would fall.
---
As the hours crept toward morning, Kael returned to the Guildhall, exhaustion pulling at his bones. He found Selene on the steps, her hands stained with Vein dust, her hair falling loose around her face.
She looked up as he approached. "We're ready. As ready as we'll ever be."
He sat beside her, letting the silence stretch between them.
"Do you ever wonder," Selene said quietly, "what we'll do if we win?"
Kael smiled, weary but sincere. "I think about it every night. And every night, I promise myself I'll live long enough to find out."
She leaned her head on his shoulder. "Then let's make sure we do."
Above them, the sky began to pale, the first hints of dawn creeping over the battered city.
---
In the Dominion camp, Voss stood at the river's edge, watching the city's silhouette. He raised a hand, and a Vein flare shot into the sky—a silent signal.
The fleet's engines rumbled to life. Soldiers formed up in ranks. The Emberfall Protocol was ready.
---
The bells of Liraine tolled, slow and defiant, echoing over the river as the city's defenders took their places.
Kael squeezed Selene's hand, his voice steady. "Whatever comes, we face it together."
She nodded, eyes shining with determination. "Together."
The city held its breath.
The second day of the siege was about to begin.
---