The blinding red light from Elder Vane’s glowing runic orb died with a dull hiss as Beta Vance tackled the traitor, driving the breath from the elder's lungs and knocking the dangerous glass sphere down the winding stone stairs.
Within minutes, the battle in the Pinnacle stairwell was over.
King Kaelen stood bare-chested amidst the broken stones, his golden eyes blazing with untamed authority as three captured Iron-Claw berserkers were dragged to their knees in iron chains. The King wore only his dark breeches and heavy cavalry boots, his smooth, healed chest glowing with the faint silver mark where the fatal poison had been eradicated. In his right hand, he held the recovered Dire-Wolf Signet, the heavy gold chain dripping through his broad fingers like liquid sunlight.
Kaelen looked d
