The ceremony was a mask. Aetheron knew it.
Even as the wine flowed, his mind drifted back to the Starfall Tree—the clearing where it all began. He remembered the smell of damp moss and the purple glow of the dusk. He remembered the bruises on his hands from the Zarethian Trial.
"You look like you've crawled out of a grave," Kaelor had said back then, relief hidden in his rough voice.
"I didn't enter the Abyss for gold, Kaelor," Aetheron had replied. "I did it for the people who are tired of kings sitting on silk while the borders burn."
That memory was shattered by a sound that turned their blood to ice.
The Vaelcry.
It wasn't just a horn; it was a mournful wail that rose from the bowels of the earth. In Solthera, the Vaelcry was a death knell. It meant the kingdom's heart was being torn out.
Kaelor was on his feet instantly. The commander's mask replaced the friend's face.
"War?" Kaelor's voice was jagged. "Now? The coronation isn't even over."
A soldier burst into the hall. His blue-and-silver armor was splattered with mud and fresh blood. He collapsed at Aetheron's feet, gasping for air.
"My Lords... the Crimson Pass has been breached," the soldier choked out. "Zhalver... an ocean of black steel has crossed the line. Draeven Zareth leads them."
Aetheron spat the name like poison. "Draeven."
"King Eldric..." the soldier's voice trembled. "The King didn't wait for us. He has already ridden out to meet them alone."
The hall fell into a suffocating silence. The new crown on Aetheron's head suddenly felt like a mantle of lead. His father was at the border, facing an army with nothing but his old sword.
"He thinks we are dreaming of celebrations," Kaelor growled, reaching for his hilt. "He thinks a crown makes a King weak. Let's show him he's a fool."
Aetheron's amber eyes burned with a cold fury. The fatigue of the trial was gone, scorched away by the weight of responsibility.
"We don't wait for the dawn," Aetheron commanded, his voice vibrating against the ancient stones. "We ride."
As they galloped toward the Crimson Pass, the horizon didn't show the sun. It showed a strange, sickly green glow. Aetheron felt a knot of dread tighten in his stomach. Draeven wasn't just bringing steel—he was bringing something forbidden.