Seraphine stepped forward, her boots clicking softly against the polished marble as she approached Lord Damarion and his remaining guards. The flames from the shattered doorway cast long shadows across the lavish hall, their flickering light dancing on the bloodied steel in her hand.
The guards flanking Damarion gripped their swords tightly, their eyes darting between one another. Fear. It was thick in the airundeniable. They had seen what had happened outside. They knew the battle was already lost.
Seraphine exhaled slowly, shifting her stance. Her fingers tightened around the hilt of her sword, her body sinking low as if she were about to step into a flowing river.
She moved.
The first guard barely had time to react before her blade slashed through the air in a sweeping arc. She twisted her wrist, guiding the steel like a coursing wave. The man's throat split open, blood spraying across the marble floor. His body collapsed with a sickening thud.
