The air in the transport ship was thick with silence as it cut through the darkening sky, carrying Isabella, Cassia, Alexander, and Elias away from the ruins of Voss's lair. No one spoke. The weight of revelation settled heavily on their shoulders.
Isabella sat by the viewport, staring into the endless clouds, her thoughts racing.
A sister. A sister she never knew existed.
Cassia finally broke the silence.
"She was taken before I could even name her," Cassia said softly. "Ripped from my arms in the breeding vaults. I thought she'd died with the others. But Voss... he kept her. Molded her into his perfect weapon."
"And now she rules the Broken Order," Alexander muttered darkly. "The one force in the North that refuses to bow."
Isabella turned, her voice low and sharp. "We have to find her."
Elias shook his head. "You can't think of going to her—not yet. Shade commands an army stronger than any we've faced. She'll destroy you before you even get close."
Cassia met Isabella's eyes. "No. She won't. Blood recognizes blood. And Shade will want to see you as much as you want to see her."
"Or kill me," Isabella said bitterly.
"Perhaps," Cassia admitted, "but there's something Voss could never erase: the bond of sisters. Even after years of separation."
The ship trembled slightly as it entered the Northern airspace. Elias glanced at the navigation panel. "We're nearing the Frostspire border. Surveillance drones will pick us up soon. What's the plan?"
Isabella stood, resolve settling like steel in her spine.
"We go to her. No army. No guns. Just me."
Alexander stiffened. "Are you insane? She'll gut you the moment you step into her throne room."
"She might," Isabella said, meeting his gaze. "But I have to know. I have to see what she's become. And if there's anything left of the sister she could have been."
Cassia smiled faintly. Pride and sorrow mixed in her eyes. "You're more like your father than you know."
Isabella turned back to the window. In the distance, through the breaking clouds, she saw the jagged silhouette of Frostspire Fortress, rising like a beast from the frozen earth.
"Set us down at the border," she ordered. "I'll walk the rest of the way."
Behind her, the others exchanged uneasy looks.
The war of kings and monsters was no longer a game of soldiers and power.
It was a war of family.