The skies above Valkoron churned with dark clouds, painted in shades of violet and storm-gray, as though the heavens themselves stirred in restless anticipation.
Lightning cracked somewhere beyond the jagged mountains, briefly illuminating the towering spires of the Stormborne citadel.
High upon the ramparts stood King Valerian Stormborne of Virelia, cloaked in a mantle of midnight blue that snapped violently in the rising wind. His sharp eyes scanned the vast valley stretching below the fortress.
For a long moment he said nothing, simply watching the storm gather.
"The winds grow uneasy," he murmured at last.
Behind him, Kaelen Thorn tightened the leather straps of his cuirass. The familiar creak of armor carried in the cold air.
"A sign, perhaps," Kaelen said, glancing up at the roiling clouds. "The skies know their king is leaving Valkoron."
Valerian let out a quiet scoff and turned toward him.
