The eastern palace wall had not merely been breached.
It had been shattered.
A thunderous impact rolled through the throne wing as if the capital itself had been struck by a siege engine, and a visible tremor raced through the marble floor beneath Selene's feet. The silver lines glowing beneath the imperial throne flared violently in response. Above them, the towering banners of black and gold swayed hard in the sudden pressure, while the hidden staircase below the dais pulsed with a cold, ancient light.
Selene turned toward the outer corridor just as another blast shook the chamber.
Dust drifted from the ceiling in pale streams.
The palace alarms had already begun screaming somewhere beyond the throne room. Guards shouted from the far halls. Steel rang against steel. The clash of boots and weapons reverberated through the palace wings like a storm breaking through a sealed fortress.
Freya swore softly beneath her breath.
