Vanished in the Smoke

Maverick’s POV

The moment the sound hit, I knew it wasn’t thunder.

It wasn’t natural. It was war. Thick and real and close enough to breathe in. Like steel grinding through bone. Like fury charging through stone walls. The entire castle seemed to hold its breath for a second. And then I heard the knock. Not just any knock—urgent, deliberate. Fists pounding like they were chasing time itself.

I ope