Ashen stood before the great obsidian throne of Drakonis Keep, the seat still warm from his father's presence only days ago.
The massive chamber was packed shoulder-to-shoulder with nobles, their silk robes and jeweled coronets glittering in the torchlight, yet every face was turned toward him in uneasy supplication.
He had been called to a meeting ever since the incident, but he had refused to attend until now. He could no longer dodge it, so he decided to go for it.
Their voices rose in a chorus of indignation, each one more strident than the last, and they were all not saying what pleased Ashen.
"The Celestial princess must be punished!"
"She is an enchantress and her blood is poison! She must have been the cause of this catastrophe."
"The attack on the king, the death of the queen, her hand is behind it all!"
"Summon her back! Let her face justice!"
The clamor swelled until it beat against the vaulted ceiling like storm waves.
