"Who are you again?"
The empress's words were lazy, almost bored — and they stabbed straight into Melissa's heart, nearly making her trip over her own feet.
"I-I am the elder of the venom tribe," Melissa said, steadying herself both physically and mentally, "the one that requested your aid after winning in the 135th grand feast, empress."
She felt humiliated. Every bone in her body screamed it. But she swallowed it whole and kept her voice level, and the empress responded with nothing more than a soft, non-committal hum.
The blinding light that had been swallowing the empress's figure slowly began to recede, pulling back into her like a tide returning to the sea.
Aaron stared. He couldn't help it — he was completely helpless against the impulse, his eyes wide and unblinking as the glow peeled away to reveal her.
