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: Predicting the Empire's future using only a bowl of still water.
: Navigating a labyrinth that shifted according to one’s deepest fears. : Predicting the Empire's future using only a
Elara, a minor noble from the frost-bitten Northern Marches, stood among thirty other women in the Great Hall. Each held a silken ribbon; hers was the color of a bruised plum. They weren't just there for their beauty; they were there because the Emperor, a man rumored to be more dragon than human, required a consort whose magic could stabilize the crumbling Heartstone of the realm. The trials were brutal: Each held a silken ribbon; hers was the
In the heart of the Golden Empire, the bells of the Eternal Palace rang for the first time in a century. The "Imperial Selection" had begun. The "Imperial Selection" had begun
"You don't need a wife to decorate your throne," she whispered, her palms glowing with the cold, steady light of the North. "You need a pillar to help you hold up the sky."
