Chapter 27 · Frontier Lord - Chapter 27: The North Gate Burns

The smoke hit Ava's lungs before she heard the screaming.

She stumbled out of the hall, half-dressed, one boot on. The north gate was a column of orange against the pre-dawn dark. Flames crawled up the timber frame like they'd been waiting for this.

Rain was already running.

"Get water!" Sera's voice cut through the chaos. Refugees poured from the barracks, buckets clanging. The gate groaned, a deep splitting sound that made Ava's teeth ache.

She shoved her second boot on and sprinted after Rain. Her builder's blood was already singing, a hot pulse under her ribs. The gate wasn't just burning. It was collapsing inward, and the flames were wrong—too blue at the base, too eager.

Alchemical accelerant. Klaus didn't just buy the keys. He'd prepped the trap.

Rain stopped ten feet from the blaze. His whole body had gone rigid.

"Rain!" Ava grabbed his arm. His skin was cold despite the heat pouring off the gate. "We need to—"

"Someone's inside."

Her stomach dropped. "What?"

"I heard them." His voice was flat. Empty. The voice he used when he talked about his dead squad. "They're calling for help."

Ava strained to listen over the roar of fire. Nothing.