Chapter 203 The Shadow Of Ilthoria

• The gates of Ilthoria opened with a groan, and Ariella stepped through with Lysandra close behind her. The air on the other side was heavier, charged with a tension that wrapped itself around her like a cloak. Despite the warm morning sun, there was a chill in the air, the kind of cold that seeped into the bones and stayed there. It was a cold that spoke of secrets long buried, and of power that twisted through every street and corner of this land.
• They had been granted entry, but the man who had let them through wasn’t finished with them yet. His eyes lingered on Ariella as if seeing something she hadn’t yet discovered about herself.
• "You’d best be careful," he warned, his voice low, his gaze shifting toward the horizon. "Ilthoria is a kingdom of masks. Everyone wears one. Even those who claim to be allies may have motives you do not yet understand."