The fighting inside the palace didn't last forever.
It felt like it.
But eventually, the creatures within the walls were cut down one by one—bodies piled high in courtyards and corridors, the once-pristine tiles soaked in blood and ash.
It wasn't a clean victory. It was desperate. Hard-earned. But a victory nonetheless.
With Damian and Caelen leading the frontline and Evelina, Jasper, and the Highland warriors coordinating the fallback chokeholds, they managed to contain the attackers. The masked warriors were relentless, but not invincible.
Without the advantage of numbers—and once the breach was secured—they began to fall.
It took them the rest of the night to drive the last of the invaders from the inner sanctum.
By dawn, the southern wall stood no more. But in its place, a barricade of overturned wagons, stone slabs, and layered steel sheets formed a makeshift blockade. Enough to stall another wave. Barely.
