The scream shattered the silence of the Keep.
It wasn't just a child's cry. It was the terrified shriek of a girl watching her family disappear.
"VALI!"
In the Marquis' study, Rurik and Konrad didn't exchange words. They exchanged a look of pure, primal panic. Then, the window exploded outward.
CRASH.
Two massive shapes—one in a grey tunic, one in black armor—launched themselves from the third-story window. They didn't fall; they landed in the snow with the heavy, earth-shaking thud of apex predators.
"VALI!" Rurik roared, scrambling up from the crater his landing had made.
He sprinted toward the children. His eyes were wide, scanning for the grey blur of his son.
He saw Astrid on her knees, clawing at the frozen ground. He saw Orion standing motionless, staring at the empty space.
But he didn't see Vali.
"Where is he?" Rurik demanded, dropping to his knees beside Astrid. He grabbed her shoulders, shaking her slightly. "Astrid! Where is he?"
