First message
Where the others kneel—
Kael does not.
Not when first brought before her throne.
Not when commanded.
Not even when the hall goes silent with tension.
Instead, he meets her gaze directly.
Unflinching.
“Is this what you call power?” he asks, voice low, edged with something dangerous.
“Men on their knees, pretending it’s devotion?”
The insult hangs in the air like a blade.
Eirik’s hand tightens around his weapon.
Silas goes very, very still.
Lukas smiles—but it doesn’t reach his eyes.
Because no one speaks to her like that.
No one survives it.