They returned to the cavern's heart. The battle raged still, but now the hooded man stood at the altar, the shards of the Crown orbiting him in a storm.
As Aric entered, the man threw back his hood.
He was no man at all. His face was scaled, his eyes slit like a serpent's, his body shifting between flesh and shadow. A creature older than kingdoms, wearing a man's form.
"I am no servant," he hissed. "I am the Serpent."
The Crown shards whirled faster, pulled toward him. Soon, they would bind—and the world would bow.