Chapter 56 - The Ruins of Arcanis

After hours of riding hard, their bodies hurting from exhaustion and their throats drying out, the Moonveiled Claws sisters had almost been caught in a vicious ambush by the Silver Talon Clan, but they had barely escaped thanks to their agility, stealth, and Nythara's clever plan. Now, their horses galloped steadily toward the boundaries of Arcanis, eager to get home. Aryana rode ahead of the others, looking out over the horizon. The escape had boosted her heart, but it sank as soon as the first glimpses of the city appeared. The border's battlefield was a bleak ruin. Parts of the palace's once-grand towers were in ruins, and smoke billowed into the sky from the damaged structure. The air was heavy with the smell of burnt wood and scorched ground. Aryana's eyes were wide with shock. No," she whispered, barely audible. Her knuckles whitened as her hands gripped the reins more tightly. Desperate to prove what her eyes would not believe, she pushed her horse ahead, past her sisters