The Council Hall still trembled from Aliena's awakening.
White light pulsed faintly beneath her skin.
Sebastian stood in front of her like a drawn blade.
Then...
The doors exploded inward.
Not opened.
Broken.
Cold wind flooded the chamber, extinguishing every torch in a single breath.
Darkness swallowed the hall.
And in that darkness...
A figure stepped forward.
Not hurried. Not cautious.
Certain.
The torches reignited in a ring of fire as he crossed the threshold.
Tall. Cloaked. Silver-eyed.
Sebastian's body went rigid.
Because he knew that face.
Or rather...
He knew the man he had once watched fall from a cliffside battlefield against magic wielders and vampires, swallowed by fire and stone.
"You're dead," Sebastian said flatly.
The stranger's lips curved faintly.
"Disappointed?"
The King rose slowly.
"State your name before I have you executed properly this time."
The man removed his hood.
