Ash at the Gate
Chapter 1 · 1,320 words
The city bell rang before sunrise, low and uneven, as if the tower itself had learned to fear the road beyond the walls. Ash at the Gate 1. By the time the market opened, every stall had turned its brightest cloth inward and every guard watched the northern gate. Ash at the Gate 2. No one said the old name aloud. Names carried debts, and debts were the one thing the city could no longer afford. Ash at the Gate 3. At noon, a rider crossed the bridge with ash on his cloak and a sealed letter held high above the crowd. Ash at the Gate 4.
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