Lenko's gasp cut sharp through the air as his hand shot out, not just gripping Keiser's shoulder this time, but seizing his entire arm and yanking him back from the bars. Keiser allowed himself to be pulled, releasing his hold on the elven's arm.
What he let go of was no longer the coarse, weathered skin of an old man. The flesh had grown pale, smooth, almost unnaturally slender. Across the forearm burned a rune, raw and searing as though freshly carved into the skin. The mark pulsed faintly, glowing like embers... 'Reveal-Yourself'.
Even Tyron, stumbled back in step with the two elders, their faces twisting from shock into something colder... fear.
No wonder. Every tale, every whispered warning in the kingdom spoke of elves, and none of it was comforting.
Unlike humans, elves needed no scripted runes, no carved sigils, no parchment or circle etched in chalk to wield their magic.
