by Riley Clark
**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Looking for feedback—especially on pacing and whether the opening holds your interest** War has not yet been declared—but it is coming. In the quiet village of Tripoly, Pallin Malory dreams of a life beyond the inn he’s bound to inherit. But as silence from the east stretches into something more dangerous, wounded soldiers return with no answers—and the kingdom begins to shift. Some will be called to serve. Others will be forced to choose. Pallin intends to be more than a bystander.
