「The next day.」
「Thunder Dragon City.」
Inside the Grand Audience Hall, dozens of colossal pillars carved with ferocious Thunder Dragons supported the vaulted ceiling.
Sunlight streamed through the towering stained-glass windows, casting a kaleidoscope of light and shadows across the floor.
The Duke of Thunder Dragon sat upon his high-backed oak throne, clad in a ceremonial ducal robe of purple and gold, the crest of the Thunder Dragon Family pinned to his chest.
His Highness Eliot had also donned a new formal suit today. He stood at the front of the assembled vassals, his face a mask of perfectly calibrated concern and reverence.
He glanced toward his father on the high seat, his mind racing. After receiving a secret message from Alan Rickman yesterday about the upheaval in Ironthorn Territory, he'd been surprised by Baron Mengde's incompetence but had quickly adjusted his plans.
