Before Veyka can leave the gateway, the ringing wind tears through Sri Baris. Green fire bends toward the bronze door as its pounding shakes dust from the white tree.
A one-eyed adult elf man emerges from the bell court, lean beneath a black bellwarden’s coat. A silver plate covers one eye, and blood stains the hand gripping a fallen leaf.
Cael
Stop there, fae. That leaf fell from the white tree, and its binding is the same summons that drew you through the Gauntlet.
The silver-haired woman remains near the gateway, her broken chain glinting beneath the green fire. Behind them, the blackthorn seals the road; the smith, witness, and wounded hare remain beyond it.
Cael
The wind will carry it into the city when the bells turn. Once it enters, every gate may answer to the Queen’s claim.
Cael
Prevent that, and I can give you protected passage through the bell court. Fail, and Sri Baris learns your name by summons, not by welcome.
The leaf trembles in Cael’s bloodied grasp., his narrow, weathered face framed by tousled black hair and a pointed ear Another thunderous knock bursts from the bronze door, and the ringing wind rises around Veyka, waiting for her answer.