"Ah!" Kael winced, clutching his bleeding finger.
"Mine now," Rithira squawked happily, flying up to the top of the massive crystalline wardstone and dropping the gold ring onto it like a prize.
Lucian looked down at Kael.
"The Headmaster," Lucian said coldly. "Where is he?"
"Gone..." Kael wheezed, glaring up at Lucian with absolute hatred. "He took the elite instructors to the Inner Ring to secure the royal vaults... he left me in charge of the campus."
"Not anymore," Lucian stated.
Lucian reached out and grabbed Kael by his burnt collar, hoisting the grown man to his feet. He dragged him effortlessly toward the massive floor-to-ceiling window overlooking the courtyard.
Three stories down, the Vanguard forces were swarming. Over a hundred noble enforcers had completely surrounded the entrance to the central spire, holding torches and drawn weapons. They were preparing to breach the building to hunt Lucian down.
Lucian violently shoved Kael against the thick glass.
