The prisoner's lips slowly curled into a smile.
He looked past Theron toward the rocky cliffs surrounding the valley. Hidden among the shadows, he knew they were there.
His brothers.
Their order had one unbreakable principle. They never abandoned one of their own.
He laughed under his breath despite the prince's grip. "We are many," he said. "You cannot hold me forever. They will—"
A sharp hiss sliced through the air.
It was so fast it scarcely made a sound, only a violent disturbance that split the wind itself.
Kael's eyes widened. "Your Highness!"
He threw himself forward, slamming into Theron's shoulder.
The two of them crashed sideways.
An instant later, the compressed blade of air struck the prisoner squarely in the temple. The impact sounded less like steel and more like stone shattering. Blood sprayed across the ground.
The man's head snapped violently to one side before his body collapsed, lifeless.
Silence.
