Two guards had been the first to notice the scene from the far end of the hall. They had rushed forward immediately when they saw Valen kneeling on the marble floor, her shoulders rigid, her hands still hovering near the body in front of her.
But none of them dared approach too closely, they stood several steps away, uncertain, she looked completely frozen.
Her gaze remained locked on the pale face of the man lying before her, the blood pooling beneath him had begun to spread across the marble floor in slow, dark lines and Valen had not moved once.
Another set of footsteps echoed through the hall, these ones were faster and heavier, the guards straightened immediately.
King Kaelvryn appeared at the far end of the corridor, his long dark cloak sweeping behind him as he strode forward with sharp purpose. Lucas followed closely behind him, though his pace was slightly slower, his sharp eyes already scanning the situation.
"What happened?" Lucas muttered under his breath.
