"The black lizard's spawn wasted only ten days before proving himself a truly problematic heir. Arkanos — ah, unfortunate he is to be used as a stepping stone to my ascension."
The court erupted into alarmed murmurs.
"That cannot be possible!" one baron spluttered.
"Strike everywhere? Move legions like chess pieces upon a single command?"
"Madness — no magic could sustain such—"
"Enough!" Varian's voice cracked across the hall like a whip. The nobles fell silent at once.
His stare swept over them, sharp as a sword's edge.
"Do not insult this court — or your own wits — by clinging to comforting lies. The Bloodbane empire has shown its fangs, and now we must prepare to break them off. I will not have another lord's head passed around in my lands because old fools refused to believe the world is larger than the borders of their estates."
He leaned forward slightly, every inch the predator now.
