{THE CENTRAL REGION}
{THE ROYAL PACK}
"No." The word was a low breath from Monrel's lips as he stepped into his wizard's chamber.
His eyes went immediately to the center of the room, to the crystal orb that rested on a pedestal of obsidian. A soft, silvery light pulsed within it, a light that had burned with a steady, reassuring glow for years. But now, it was dimming. Flickering like a candle in a draft.
He knew what it meant. She was fading. They were losing her. Selene was dying.
Monrel stood frozen, struck by a dread that was both profound and familiar. It did not matter that he dreaded the next step with his entire soul. The earlier he did it, the less severe the consequences might be.
With a spirit weighed down by impending doom, he began the insufferable journey to the King's castle.
