23 - The Queen's Demand
The move from the oppressive stillness of Raxor’s private wing into the blinding noise of the Imperial Grand Feast was a physical shock. Lena had been in absolute isolation for four solar cycles, her only company the massive, silent presence of Raxor and the cold comfort of the stone platform. Now, she was thrust back into the palace’s political arena. The grand dining hall was a cavernous space where light was fractured by thousands of cascading crystal pendants, amplifying every whisper and metallic clink. The air was thick with the scent of spiced alien liquors and roasted Varthian meat. The nobility, clad in their finest jeweled silks, turned to observe her entrance—a human being paraded as the King’s most intimate possession. Raxor held her wrist in a grip that was entirely possessi
- Writer
