The courtyard was already broken.
Yet the clash destroyed it even futher.
The first strike had shattered the flagstones, cracked the stone walls, and sent echoes howling through Solaris Castle like a scream buried in stone. Dust churned in the air, a choking fog that dulled moonlight and turned both combatants into shifting silhouettes of menace.
But they moved too fast for the eye to follow.
Karahad's presence was a rending blade in itself. His shadow stretched unnaturally wide across the rubble, quivering as if alive, fangs of darkness snapping in silence. He shifted once, a whisper in space — and then he was gone.
Lan's eyes narrowed, pale grey trying to catch the distortion.
The answer came a breath later, too late for most men to even flinch.
First Breath.
