But before I could step out into the bright afternoon sun...
"...Is that so?"
I stopped, my hand hovering inches from the heavy brass door handle. I slowly turned my head back toward the grand foyer and saw...
Victor stepped out from the archway of the eastern corridor.
He was wearing a dark, sweat-dampened training outfit, clearly having just come from the sparring area after hearing the commotion.
His piercing grey eyes locked immediately onto mine, sweeping over the absolute chaos of the entrance hall.
Cedric was still writhing on the cold marble floor, whimpering as he clutched his cracked ribs. But Aldric had found his footing.
The head of the Raith family stood up, his face twisted into an ugly, vein-bulging mask of pure, unadulterated fury.
He gripped the hilt of his retrieved longsword so tightly his knuckles turned stark white.
