The heavy doors at the far end of the ruined arena burst open with a metallic crash.
Through the settling dust and cracked stone, dozens of armored figures poured in, imperial knights, their armor gleaming silver and gold beneath the flickering light. Their movements were sharp, disciplined, the clatter of their boots echoing like thunder through the fractured air.
At their head strode a man clad in gold-trimmed plate, the twin dragons of the Velkaris crest curling proudly across his chestplate, a jeweled sword at his hip.
The moment his eyes fell upon Belle, every knight behind him stopped and then, as one, dropped to one knee.
"Lady Ardent!" the captain declared, voice carrying across the silence. "We came as soon as we felt the disturbance."
Even through his visor, I could see the tightness in his jaw—the faint tremor of a man who knew exactly whose presence he was standing in.
