"From this day forward, we are no longer subjects of the Kingdom of Gaal."
The sound of falling utensils filled the air as forks and knives fell from limp fingers while dozens of lords and ladies felt the turning of their thoughts grind to a jarring halt.
"Did, did she just say that, that we're…" Sir Garrik Maeril said, unable to believe what he'd just heard and equally unable to speak the words that Lady Ashlynn's declaration had implied.
Treason.
Rebellion.
Doomed.
All three landed on his mind in rapid succession, but none of them could make it past his tongue, and he wasn't alone in his reaction.
At the far end of the lower table to which he'd been exiled, Valeri Leufroy felt a cold chill pierce his heart as he imagined what would come next.
War.
