Marcus Thorne stood in the center of fifteen thousand men who'd stopped breathing normally.
The Emperor-class dragon behind Jack Kaiser radiated heat that made sweat pour down their faces despite the dome's chill.
Magma dripped from scales in slow, steady drops that hissed when they hit the ice.
Silence stretched.
Broken only by the Starfell emissary's whimpering as he cradled the stumps where his hands used to be.
Then a captain in Marcus's front ranks straightened. His jaw set. Hand tightening on his sword until the leather creaked.
"FUCK THIS!" He raised his blade high. "He's one man! One demon! Rush him together and…"
"FOR GLORY!" Another captain joined the cry.
"FOR COIN!"
The spell broke. Perhaps two hundred mercenaries surged forward, desperation overriding their fear.
Boots thundering against the ice. Weapons raised. Voices roaring battle cries that echoed off the crystalline walls.
They made it perhaps thirty feet.
Emberion's mouth cracked open.
