The voices grew louder, boots pounding against stone, and I let out a breath I didn't know I'd been holding.
"Over here!" I shouted, my voice echoing off the chamber walls. "By the pedestal!"
More shouting. More footsteps. And then they poured through the corridor, a dozen of my household guard in full regalia, swords drawn, armor gleaming even in the dim light of the dungeon.
And the captain, a grizzled veteran named Aldric, with red hair and red eyes. It was Edward's second-in-command who reached me first. His eyes swept across the chamber, taking in the shattered Sentinels, the disabled machine, the blood pooling beneath my hands.
"Your Grace." His voice was tight. "You're injured."
"I'll live." I tried to stand, failed, and let Aldric catch me under the arm. "The portal. Is it still open in the training room?"
