Prologue

The kingdom was not always broken.

Once, its towers gleamed like stars, its bridges sang with light, its

people lived in peace above the clouds. But pride drew the gaze of

the gods, and pride is a thing the heavens do not forgive.

So the kingdom was cursed. Torn from the earth, cast adrift at the

edge of the sky, bound by chains that no hand could break. Silence

fell across its streets, heavy and endless, so that no voice dared rise

against the crown.