A Man Like None Other (Jared Chance) novel Chapter 5518

The wind still whipped dust across the open wastes as the trio pressed on. Luna led, steps light yet sure, moving as though the desert were mapped upon her heartbeat.

Flaxseed huffed, "How much farther to Eastshire's walls? My legs are singing their own funeral hymn."

Days of relentless travel had drained him, and the promise of finding the Sixth Hall drove an impatient spark through every weary muscle.

"Almost there," Luna replied, pointing to a rise of dunes ahead. "Cross that ridge and the city comes into view."

Moments later, the ridge broke, revealing colossal blue-stone ramparts spearing upward, sunlit faces gleaming like tempered steel.

Soldiers lined the parapets shoulder to shoulder. Every spear-tip tracked the horizon, as though the city itself awaited an unseen storm.

Dust swirled at the battlements' feet, yet not a single guard allowed the haze to dull his vigilance.

Flaxseed scratched his beard. "All right, guys, how do we get inside that fortress?"

Flaxseed shifted the burlap sack on his shoulder and asked the question that had been troubling him since they first spotted the walls. He knew ordinary towns enforced strict entry rules. Eastshire District, rumored to plot with the Sixth Hall of the Celestial Palace, would be far harsher.

"I carry the Linford name," Luna explained, steady but cautious. "The gate wardens will open for me. The two of you, though, ought to disguise yourselves."

"Disguise?" Flaxseed echoed, bewilderment creasing his tattooed face.

"Exactly. If they spot strangers, we invite trouble we don't need," Luna said, lowering her voice.

"No need for costumes." Jared's tone was effortless. "We'll walk straight in."

Without waiting for agreement, Jared set off toward the iron-bound gates, boots ringing against the flagstones. Luna and Flaxseed traded a helpless glance, then hurried after him.

The sentries atop the archway snapped to attention the moment the trio approached, spears crossing to bar the road.

"Hold it! Identify yourselves," the lead guard barked.

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