He took a breath to give the order.
CREAK. BOOM.
The massive, gilded doors of the throne room didn't just open. They were shoved apart with such concussive force that they slammed against the marble walls, the sound echoing like a cannon shot.
Every head in the room snapped around.
Standing in the doorway, dressed in a simple, flowing blood-red robe that only accentuated the lethal grace of her posture, was Empress Heena.
The color was back in her face. Her eyes were sharp, bright, and utterly terrifying.
She walked forward, her footsteps echoing in the dead, breathless silence of the hall. She tilted her head, a playful, razor-sharp smile curving her lips as she looked directly at Duke Valorian and his faction.
"Oh ho..." Heena purred, her voice dripping with venomous amusement. "I hear I have some remarkably loyal subordinates stepping up to claim my throne. Tell me, when did you all grow the spine for it? And why wasn't I invited to the birth of this newfound courage?"
