Thalurian Empire, Royal Palace
"So," Dorian drawled, steepling his fingers as the trembling spy knelt before him, "how is it? Where's her weakness?"
The spy swallowed hard before speaking. "Your Majesty… I gathered everything I could from Aethelgard. About the sorceress, Sienna-Rose… and the rumors." His voice dropped. "They are all true."
Dorian raised a brow. "All?"
The man nodded rapidly. "Her four wives, their identities, influence, and territories. And… how she rose from the weakest sorceress anyone had ever seen to the strongest in the kingdom's history." He hesitated, voice cracking. "And the dragon. The one she killed… it was a Keldros."
Silence thickened the air like tar.
Dorian's eyes narrowed. "A Keldros," he repeated softly, tasting the word. "The top of the chain."
