Chapter 75 — Festivals of Ash and Shadow
The Festival of Embers began at dusk on the seventh night after the Convergence.
It was the first major celebration the kingdom had held since the war's end, and the people embraced it with desperate, joyful hunger. For weeks, servants, artisans, and common folk had prepared in secret. The Obsidian Throne and the capital squares were transformed. Long tables stretched for miles through the main avenues. Lava-glass lanterns hung in glowing chains, casting warm red and violet light. Banners of black and twilight colors fluttered in the warm volcanic breeze.
Cairis and Liora stood on the highest balcony overlooking the city as the festival ignited. Below them, thousands had gathered — nobles and commoners, demons and the small but growing number of hybrids, even some mortals who had chosen to stay under the new rule.
