He sat on a patch of shattered bluestone bricks, surrounded by city walls that had mostly collapsed. Charred beams lay scattered across the ground, and broken arrows and tattered banners jutted from the rubble like rows of desolate tombstones. In the distance, the city’s outline became a menacing silhouette beneath the blood moon. Flames still blazed in several places, staining half the sky an ominous orange-red.
