Chapter 6: Before the Bell

The day begins with a detail that should be ordinary and refuses to remain that way.

Kael Rowan follows the first clue deeper into a continent protected by seven gates and bonded dragons, where every answer creates a more dangerous question.

An ally makes the wrong decision for the right reason, and repairing it costs more than the original mistake.

Kael Rowan keeps the larger goal in view: master each gate discipline before the ash dragon consumes his identity. The immediate problem is smaller, sharper, and impossible to postpone.

They disagree without leaving. For both of them, that becomes a more intimate choice than agreement.

Lyra Voss offers help but withholds the one fact that would make trust easy.

The recurring signs of ash, runes, dragonfire return with a different meaning, linking this choice to what came before.

A familiar symbol proves the threat began long before either of them arrived.