The Veil of Deception. Rise of the Deceiver, #2

The city is breathing lies. I can feel them crawling through thestreets, winding up alleyways, twisting into every face, everythought, every whispered question. The Dominion has learnedhow to do more than silence; they've learned how to rewritereality itself. They've painted fear and obedience onto the citylike a canvas, and every citizen is a brushstroke under theircontrol. I move along the rooftops, hood drawn tight against the drizzle, boots whispering over wet tiles.
Below, Dominion patrols marchin rigid lines, unaware that we are watching, that we are alive. Every shadow could be an ally, every flicker of movement awarning. My pulse is steady, my mind sharp. Seven days. Fourteen hours. Three minutes. Thirty-three seconds. Theclock isn't theirs-it belongs to us, to the Remnant, and thecountdown of courage has already begun. Lyra slides onto the rooftop behind me, breath uneven but eyes1THEVEILOFDECEPTIONfierce.