Yet internally Eleana blood ran ice-cold.
He was right.
The Deadly Seed spell was tied to the estate's foundation. Limited range. If the Emperor escaped the building and got his magic back—full, forty-years-of-stolen-power magic back—no one here could stop him. Not Eleana. Not Elara. Not anyone.
He'd slaughter them all.
She had minutes. Maybe less.
"Guards, move!" she shouted at the beast knights blocking her path.
They didn't. Couldn't. Their conditioning ran too deep—protect the Emperor, even at cost of their own judgment.
Eleana changed tactics. Instead of trying to force through, she went around—vaulted over one guard's shoulder, blade flashing toward the Emperor's retreating back—
Two more guards intercepted, weapons raised in pure defense.
Meanwhile, human knights who *could* fight her directly rushed in from the sides. She had to split her attention—deflecting their strikes while trying to reach the Emperor who kept backing toward freedom.
