The victory at Silvermere Ridge still tasted of blood and snow when the royal party returned to the palace six days later.
Banners of silver and black fluttered from every tower, but the celebrations were muted. The army had held the ridge and driven Magnus back across the Frost River, yet the northern alpha had not broken. He had simply withdrawn in good order, leaving behind burning villages, scorched fields, and a clear message: the war was far from over. Magnus still lived, his forces bloodied but intact, and he continued to raid the border territories with ruthless efficiency, testing the royal army's strength while the palace remained dangerously fractured.
