“Not true.” Necrovar froze again, but Keriya’s heart—which had sat unmoving and despairing—jumped to life. She looked east, and saw a miracle. Shivnath stood at the back of the crowd. A golden glow surrounded her, making her shine like the absent sun. “They are creatures of evil and they are creatures of goodness,” the Dragon Empress continued. She looked small, so far away—more than a league out, by Keriya’s reckoning—but her presence was a blessing. “Your failing, Helkryvt, is that you never understood that the balance of magics in the world is a reflection of the balance inside us all.” Shivnath started to walk. The crowd melted before her, parting ways to allow her passage. “That was my failing, too. I started this war, and because of my mistakes, I cannot end it.” “Traitor!” Nec

