Ethan watched the five survivors scramble away like roaches caught in the light. He had expected at least some parting threats, a few grand declarations about how they would make him pay, or perhaps one last attempt to save face. But there was none of that. Even Marcus, missing an arm and trailing smoke from his wounds, did not dare look back. The five of them burst through the remnants of the fireball, banked hard in midair, and limped back toward the palace, leaving a trail of sparks and black streaks across the night sky.
"That's it? They're done?"
