Chapter 28 · Frontier Lord - Chapter 28: Names Under the Wall

The black wall wasn't supposed to be there.

Ava stood three feet from it, dirt still falling from the cracks where stone had shoved through frozen ground. The thing ran the whole north edge now—twelve feet high, smooth as poured ink, cold enough that her breath fogged when she got close. Her blood was still on her palm. She'd wiped most of it on her coat, but the cut across her thumb kept opening.

Rain was behind her. She could hear his breath, short and pissed. He hadn't said a word since the wall finished rising, but his silence was loud.

"It's a Builder's mark," she said. Her voice came out flat. "My family used to do this. Before they decided the bloodline was too expensive to keep."

"You mean before they threw you here to rot."

She didn't turn around. "Same thing."

The wall had a seam down the middle—two panels that didn't quite touch. If she squinted, she could see lamplight from the yard beyond. The gate was still open. For now.

"Ava." Rain moved up beside her. His coat smelled like smoke and burnt wood. "You can't hold the north edge with one wall. You know that."