Citadel: Whispers in the Stone

Peace was hard-won. Now, old powers rise in secret-and the realm's future may rest in the hands of two who no longer trust each other.

Alia is the youngest daughter of the ruling family who ended the war that once enslaved the gifted. Born with rare abilities and trained to use them only in service of peace, she's expected to follow, not to lead. But peace is fragile, and something in the realm is shifting. Whispers. Disappearances. Signs of an enemy thought long gone.

Ethan, heir to the Internal Defense Ministry, returns to the Citadel after two years away, years spent grieving the suspicious death of his mother, one of the few gifted and a close ally of the queen. The world sees a loyal son stepping into power. But Ethan is chasing answers... and suspects the enemy that used his mother is not only still alive but gaining ground.

As attacks escalate and ancient agendas resurface, Alia and Ethan find themselves drawn back into each other's orbit. Once childhood friends and teen lovers, now divided by duty, secrets, and grief, they must navigate a court built on strategy and silence where every truth comes at a cost.

The gifted were meant to live free. But freedom is always the first thing threatened when power returns to the wrong hands.