POV: KAEL
The explosion had thrown me into a pillar hard enough to crack stone. For a moment—just a moment—my eight hundred years of experience failed me, and I lay there stunned, struggling to process what was happening.
Then training kicked in.
I forced myself up, shaking off debris, my partially shifted form already healing the worst of the impact damage. Through the smoke and chaos, I assessed the situation with the cold efficiency that had kept me alive through centuries of conflict.
The cathedral was a war zone.
Corvin's forces were attacking from multiple directions—not just the suicide bombers, but trained soldiers emerging from hidden positions throughout the crowd. They'd been disguised as guards, servants, even nobility. Now they shed their masks and engaged with brutal efficiency.
But they weren't the only ones who'd been hiding.
"NOW!" I roared, my voice carrying over the chaos with dragon resonance.
My counter-plan activated.
