She worried she’d laid it on too thick, but the soldiers bought it. The man in front—a captain, judging by the markings on his sleeve—gave her a curt bow.
“Lead the way,” he said.
Roxanne didn’t know the way. She glanced at Grouge and cleared her throat. He jumped and, with a small yelp, scampered ahead of her. Roxanne followed, sweeping through the ranks of her enemies, leading them away from the throne room.
Grouge brought them through a maze of halls to a wide rampart. It was saturated with shadowbeasts. The air was opaque with their dark spells.
“There’s no room,” the captain complained.
“Then make room,” Roxanne snapped. “The Master wants you to focus on . . .”
She scanned the sky and spotted a colossal black dragon. He was the biggest of the Eminarchs, and between his sheer siz
