"It is a siege. But those beasts will be an important force for Eiskar's future, which is why I must take the risk. If I can gain control of them, we do not just neutralize a threat. We gain an army."
Upon hearing Isolde, Bruce's mind raced.
An unstable Labyrinth the size of a small territory. A volatile Core. Thousands of empowered beasts tearing at one another in the dark. And at the center of it all, a queen who intended to walk straight into the heart of the chaos and bend it to her will.
If she failed, the northern border would collapse under a tidal wave of mana infused monstrosities. Eiskar would burn.
Duke glanced at Bruce, faint amusement threading through the gravity.
Bruce did not smile, but looked back at Isolde. "When do we leave?"
Her gaze hardened, not like that of a victim or of a tyrant, but it hardened like the eyes of a warrior. "Immediately."
Outside the palace walls, Eiskar remained unaware. Citizens walked snow dusted streets.
