The courtyard fell silent.
Talcred Silver blinked.
The guards looked up in disbelief.
Wester continued, his tone flat as stone.
"Do not kill them. Do not let them fall into deep unconsciousness. But make certain that when others look upon them, they will believe they fought with all their strength."
The meaning struck everyone at once.
The guards began pleading for mercy.
"My lord!"
"We are loyal!"
"Please!"
But Wester Silver had already turned away.
Talcred Silver clenched his jaw.
Then he moved.
The sounds that followed echoed through the courtyard.
Heavy blows.
Grunts of pain.
Bodies hitting stone.
Wester did not look back. He stared instead at the morning sky, his expression unmoving.
When it was over, the eight guards lay bruised and groaning on the ground.
Wester turned toward them.
"Listen carefully," he said.
His voice was calm now, which frightened them more than his anger had.
