His Bride, Her Revenge
Chapter 113: The Fire of Rebellion

Chapter 113: The Fire of Rebellion

The dawn after the siege was not quiet.

The city of Blackreach smoldered, its streets littered with the wreckage of war broken blades, shattered shields, the bodies of the fallen. The citadel, once a symbol of strength, bore deep scars from the night’s endless assault. Its walls were cracked, its towers hollowed by fire, its courtyards stained with the blood of defenders and invaders alike.

Yet through the ruin, the city breathed.

And with that breath came rebellion.

Whispers in the Ash

Cambria stood atop the highest battlement, wind tugging at her cloak as she gazed beyond the city walls to the horizon, where Seraphine’s black fleet grew larger with every heartbeat. Sails like wings of ravens, their edges tipped with silver fire, glinted in the sickly light of dawn.

Beside her, Maddox surveyed the damage. His armor was dented and bloodied, his face drawn with exhaustion.

"How long before they reach us?" he asked.

"Hours. Maybe less if the winds favor them." Cambria’s voice was steady, but inside, her heart beat with dread.

Evelyn joined them, eyes hollow from the toll of the magic she’d wielded. "We barely survived last night. We won’t survive this."

"We can’t afford despair," Cambria said. She turned, her gaze fierce. "Not now. Not when we’ve come this far."

But even as she spoke, she saw the glances exchanged among the surviving soldiers, the murmurs in the streets. Fear had taken root in their hearts, and from that fear, rebellion would bloom.

The Spark of Defiance

In the lower city, fires burned not just from the battle’s destruction, but from torches held aloft by those who no longer trusted the crown.

"They led us into ruin!" shouted a gaunt man in torn armor, his voice carrying through the square. "We bled for them, and for what? So Seraphine can burn us alive?"

A crowd gathered battered soldiers, starving townsfolk, merchants whose homes were reduced to ash. Their faces were marked by grief, but beneath that grief, something darker stirred.

Knox watched from the shadows of a crumbling archway, his expression unreadable. He saw the rage. The hopelessness. And he knew that fire he’d kindled it once himself, long ago.

"They’re turning on her," said a voice beside him.

Sophia Drake stepped from the gloom, her coat charred at the edges, her eyes sharp as razors. "They’ll rise against her before Seraphine even sets foot ashore."

Knox didn’t reply. His gaze remained fixed on the crowd as they began to chant low at first, then louder.

"Down with the hollow crown."

"Down with the queen of ash."

Sophia smiled thinly. "Poetic, don’t you think?"

Cambria’s Stand

Within the citadel’s heart, Cambria gathered what remained of her council. Maps littered the war table, marked with blood and soot.

"We cannot let the city tear itself apart," she said. "If rebellion takes hold now, Seraphine won’t need to lay siege. She’ll walk through our gates."

Maddox slammed his fist on the table. "Then let’s crush it. Find the ringleaders. Make examples of them."

But Cambria shook her head. "No. I won’t rule through fear. Not like Seraphine. Not like " She hesitated. "Not like I almost became."

"Then what?" Evelyn demanded. "What would you have us do? Beg for their loyalty?"

Cambria straightened. "No. I’ll remind them why they chose me. Why do they need me."

A Queen Among the Ashes

She walked into the square alone, unarmored, her crown absent, her cloak torn from battle. The crowd fell silent at the sight of her, surprise mingling with anger.

Cambria’s voice rang clear.

"You say I led you into ruin. Perhaps I did. I chose to fight. I chose to stand. I chose to defy the storm rather than bow to it."

She stepped forward, eyes blazing gold.

"But understand this: I stood where none else dared. I bled where none else would. And I will not yield now not to Seraphine, and not to fear."

The man who had spoken before stepped forward, sword drawn. "You’ve lost, Queen of Ash. We’ll die for you no longer."

Cambria didn’t flinch.

"Then kill me," she said. "If that will save you. If that will turn back the fleet. If that will bring back our dead."

Her words fell like hammer blows.

The man hesitated and lowered his blade.

Around them, the crowd stilled, their fury broken by the weight of her truth.

"We cannot fight each other," Cambria said. "Not when the true enemy is at our gates. Fight with me. Or stand aside. But know this I will fight, with or without you."

The Flames Rekindled

Slowly, the crowd parted. A boy no older than twelve, soot-streaked and hollow-eyed stepped forward and knelt.

"For my father," he whispered. "I will fight."

And one by one, others followed soldiers, townsfolk, even the gaunt man who had led the cries for rebellion.

Knox watched from the shadows, a strange warmth stirring in his chest.

"She’s winning them back," Sophia said. "Damn her."

The Enemy Strikes

But Seraphine’s fleet did not wait.

Even as the city rallied, the first wave of fire rained down. Ballistae from the ships hurled burning bolts that shattered roofs and tore through stone. Siege towers rolled ashore, disgorging soldiers in black and silver armor, their faces hidden behind pale masks.

The defenders took up arms, fighting street by street, house by house. Cambria led from the front, her sword blazing, her will unbroken. Knox fought at her side, the black flame under his command but only barely. Maddox, Evelyn, Sophia all stood together against the storm.

And as night fell once more, the city burned anew.

Upon the highest mast of the flagship, Seraphine stood, cloaked in shadow and starlight, watching as her forces consumed the city’s outskirts.

She smiled.

"At last," she murmured. "The phoenix returns to the flame."

In the heart of the citadel, Cambria felt the weight of those words, though she could not hear them.

And above the city, the sky split open as if the heavens themselves had come to witness the fire of rebellion.