The Glassbound War

After surviving the fire beneath The Eye Under the Ash, Jyllithea Gilfmorien arrives in Lornspire to find her face on wanted notices and the city transformed by fear. The Concord of Crowns has imposed emergency laws against pact-bearers, while its glassbound courts promise safety through surveillance, detention, and magical control. When Jyllithea is captured and placed on trial as a "living breach," she discovers the truth buried beneath the Hall of Measures: Maerun, the friend she believed died at the Burned Grove, has survived twelve years of captivity. The Cinder Veil has transformed them into a living map capable of locating every fragment touched by the grove's fire. Now the Concord intends to use Maerun's resonance-and Jyllithea's Emberclaw-to activate a citywide lattice that can identify and bind anyone judged capable of resistance. As crowns, priests, rebels, and secret architects compete to control the weapon, Jyllithea must navigate a war in which every faction calls domination protection. Saving Maerun will require more than breaking chains: she must confront the difference between rescue and ownership, resist the dragonfire urging her toward vengeance, and choose mercy even when mercy offers no safety. When the lattice awakens early and Lornspire becomes a city of living statues, Jyllithea faces an impossible choice between the person she loves and thousands of strangers. Her answer will expose a conspiracy, fracture the Concord, and reveal that her own draconic nature is far older-and far more politically dangerous-than anyone imagined.