The skies above Valkoron simmered with dark-hued clouds, painted in violet and storm-gray, as if the heavens themselves stirred in anticipation. Lightning cracked in the distance, illuminating the towering spires of the Stormborne citadel.
Valerian Stormborne, cloaked in a mantle of midnight blue, stood surveying the expanse below. His eyes, narrowed.
"The winds grow uneasy," he muttered.
Behind him, Kaelen Thorn adjusted the leather straps of his cuirass. "A sign, perhaps. The skies know you leave Valkoron."
Valerian turned, casting a brief glance at the man who had ridden beside him in a dozen wars. "No sign worth fearing. Let the winds howl. We ride for Caelmont."
Below, the citadel courtyard buzzed with activity. Storm steeds...leek creatures with hooves like polished onyx and manes that crackled faintly with static...were being saddled by stablehands.
