What followed over the remaining days of their journey was a battle of wills and desires that would have been worthy of epic poetry. Both women, driven by different motivations – Raayani by conquest, Cleora by the need to reclaim what was hers – began what could only be described as a campaign for Jolthar's attentions.
The young swordsman found himself the unwilling center of an increasingly intense competition, as each woman sought to prove her superiority in the most intimate ways possible.
By the time the towers of the Imperial City came into view, all pretense of propriety had been abandoned.
The journey that had begun with careful diplomacy had become something far more primal and dangerous, setting the stage for conflicts that would echo through the halls of power they were about to enter.
The situation became so unbearable for Gunter that midway through their journey, he could no longer stomach witnessing the escalating rivalry between the two women over Jolthar.
