Raani's face was very carefully blank. "We did our duty, Lord Karut."
"Of course you did."
Karut's eyes moved back to Jake. "And the welcoming ceremony? I hope it was adequate."
The words hung in the air for a moment before Jake understood them.
Welcoming ceremony.
The robed attackers. The black orcs. The ambush.
Jake's jaw tightened.
"That was you?" he said quietly.
Karut's smile widened just slightly.
"A test," he said.
"To see what you were capable of. To see if the blood runs as strong in you as the reports suggested." He glanced at the dead orcs scattered across the road.
"It seems the reports were accurate."
The pressure increased.
It happened suddenly. One moment, Karut was standing there looking pleasant and calm. The next moment, the air around him changed. The weight of his presence doubled. Tripled. Became something physical and crushing.
Jake felt it hit him like a wall.
His knees buckled.
