Ged Maybury

The world moves with a patient, ceremonial rhythm as Keth threads through lantern-lit corridors ceremonial robes hum against stone. He has learned to hear the subtle tremors in wax-sealed contracts and to read the map of loyalties etched in the faces of the Masters’ apprentices. When the seventh robe—rumoured to recall past loyalties and hazard future betrayals—begins to fray at the cuff, Keth faces the consequence of staying true to a vow that could unravel the entire order. A planned parade to bless the city shifts into a tense pulse of whispered doubts, as rival factions press in, each desire braided with old debts. In rooms perfumed with resin and power, Keth makes a choice that seals a fragile alliance—and fractures another, forcing him to decide whether a master’s affection is a leash or a ladder. The streets, suddenly both intimate and dangerous, teach him that every step toward rebellion is a step away from the only family he has left.