The palace shook violently.
Grace grabbed the nearest pillar as another tremor passed beneath her feet.
Dust fell from the ceiling.
Outside, alarms echoed through the Lost City.
Orion stood in the doorway, his expression unusually grim.
"The Shadow King has breached the outer barrier."
Kael immediately reached for his sword.
"How?"
"The Trial awakened the final seal," Orion replied. "The barrier protecting this city is weakening."
Grace's heart sank.
"So the trial helped him?"
"Not exactly."
Orion looked at her.
"The Shadow King needed the royal power to awaken the seal. He couldn't do it himself."
Grace's eyes widened.
"And now?"
"Now he can enter."
Another explosion thundered through the city.
Kael stepped toward the doorway.
"Then we stop him."
Orion shook his head.
