The silence that followed Gwen's scream was more terrifying than the noise itself. It was a vacuum, a hollow space in the air where the sovereignty of the High Palace used to reside. The emerald light that had flickered behind Gwen's eyes receded, leaving her gasping, her lungs burning from the residual acridity of the fog. But the true threat was no longer in the air; it was centered squarely within her womb.
The "Electric Prince" was no longer humming. He was screaming in the language of pure energy. The neuro-toxins from Viper's fog had acted as a catalyst, a jagged key that had turned the lock of Gwen's gestation far too early. At seven months, the child's power was nearly peak-level, but his physical form was not yet tempered to contain it.
Gwen slumped against Kaelen, her body slick with a cold, terrifying sweat. Every few seconds, her abdomen would ripple with a contraction so violent it looked like a wave breaking beneath her skin.
