The Veil of Deception - Paperback

The city is breathing lies. I can feel them crawling through the

streets, winding up alleyways, twisting into every face, every

thought, every whispered question. The Dominion has learned

how to do more than silence; they've learned how to rewrite

reality itself. They've painted fear and obedience onto the city

like a canvas, and every citizen is a brushstroke under their

control.

I move along the rooftops, hood drawn tight against the drizzle,

boots whispering over wet tiles. Below, Dominion patrols march

in rigid lines, unaware that we are watching, that we are alive.

Every shadow could be an ally, every flicker of movement a

warning. My pulse is steady, my mind sharp. Seven days.

Fourteen hours. Three minutes. Thirty-three seconds. The

clock isn't theirs-it belongs to us, to the Remnant, and the

countdown of courage has already begun.

Lyra slides onto the rooftop behind me, breath uneven but eyes

fierce.