“Urgent,” warned Noctaire, Moon Guardian of the realm.
Blue and red lines of light shimmered across the old study like a spider’s web. “It’s booby-trapped,” Relle whispered, breath quickening. A magical storm ripped through the room, a crimson strand burning like the eyes of a black widow—alive, watching, hunting.
Above them, laughter and crystal goblets clinked. “To eliminating resistance and becoming the wealthiest in the realm,” a voice declared, and they toasted.
What they didn’t know was that rescuing their Kalendrian friends from this magical trap would strike the first spark of rebellion, igniting a war where betrayal, sacrifice, and forbidden magic could decide the fate of the realm.
