Every Paragon had the authority to invoke their holy weapons and override their king's orders.
None had for decades.
"In that case, I'll leave immediately," I said, shoving down my mounting fear.
"Thank you." Killian placed a hand on my shoulder. He squeezed, reassuringly. Then, he departed.
I hadn't realized the presence the man exerted until he was gone. Breath flooded my lungs, as though he'd stolen the very air from the world. The ball of fear I'd ignored began to writhe, growing and growing.
Turning on my heel, I hurried back the way we'd come. Liam grabbed my arm when we reached the bottom of the tower's steps.
"Did you see that?" He hissed.
"What? The enormous thing walking around back there?" I asked. "Yes, I saw it."
“Ceortha doesn’t normally . . . move like that.”
“How would you know?”
Liam looked away. “Come on. Let’s hurry.”
We retrieved our elk and walked the road back into the city. It felt strange, shifting from the worried soldiers to the carefree people.
I supposed I understood. The garrison rotated every few years—the men on the walls had not been born in Galasvar.
Soldiers heeded a Paragon’s warning. They knew to fear. People instead took comfort in his presence. They believed he would protect them.
“Liam,” I asked, catching up to him. “Did you live on the border, before we found you?”
The words escaped my lips, and my stomach twisted. Gritting my teeth, I stumbled against Liam, stunned by the sudden discomfort in my gut.
A crow flew overhead and landed on a nearby roof. It gazed at me with beady eyes.
"What's wrong?" Liam asked.
I gaped at the bird, consumed by its gaze. One of its talons was missing.
This was the same bird from the ball. Had it followed us all the way here?
"Mare?" Liam pressed.
Standing straight, I felt icy fingers dance up my spine and heard the whispers from before.
This time, they were loud and clear.
It was a song.
Faint, inhuman hums scratched at my ears, growing louder with each passing beat. They soared into a piercing wail, like my every nightmare brought to life.
Priests had described the sound of darkness. Of the monsters in the deep.
It was worse than I could have ever imagined.
I turned back toward the wall, expecting the shadows to descend upon Galasvar and consume us.
Instead, a great pair of wings emerged from the darkness.
And then all hell broke loose.
