Chapter 4 — Chapter 4

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Thalen burst from the great hall into the courtyard the moment he glimpsed the ashy-gray hawk circling beyond the frosted window, its piercing cry slicing through the chill mountain air. His pulse quickened as he crossed the cobblestones, the bitter wind nipping at his face. By the time he reached the low stone wall, the hawk—its feathers glinting like dull iron in the dawn light—had already settled, talons gripping the icy edge. A nervous stableboy fumbled with the parchment tied to its ankle, his fingers trembling under Thalen’s impatient gaze. Freed of its burden, the hawk launched skyward, a silent shadow vanishing toward the jagged, snow-capped peaks behind them. The boy thrust the crumpled letter into Thalen’s hand. Turning it over, Thalen’s breath caught at the sight of Phillippe’s seal: a snowy white owl pressed into the wax. Not the message he’d prayed for from his double-agent in the Shadow Queen’s court, but a summons nonetheless.