## **Chapter 15 – Smoke in the Night**
It was nearly midnight when the first signs arrived.
A faint hiss.
A strange wind.
Then came the **smoke**.
Thick. Gray. Spreading fast.
Kael was awake.
Of course he was.
He sat by the window, book open in his lap, music low in the background.
Something felt off.
Too quiet.
Even for night.
He stood.
Looked outside.
And saw it.
Gas.
Sleeping agent.
Designed to knock out anyone inside within minutes.
He knew the smell.
He'd trained with it.
Used it.
Survived it.
He moved fast.
Grabbed his mother.
Slid her gently onto the floor, away from the vents.
Covered her nose and mouth with a cloth soaked in vinegar — makeshift, but enough to slow the effects.
Then he went to work.