The carriage rattled to a sharp halt, Talek's body lurching forward slightly with the sudden stop.
We've arrived.
He leaned forward and unlatched the small wooden window on the side, letting in the warm breath of late morning. As he pushed it open and stuck his head out, his eyes landed on the looming gates of the capital city, Yarzat, seat of the rising star.
For a moment, Talek let his gaze rest on the familiar stone.
These are the walls I was sworn to protect, he thought. Back when the world still made sense…
But the world had changed. He had changed. Many of those he have desired to fight for were dead. Others scattered. Some now served the same man who once held a blade to his throat.
He remembered it as clearly as the wound left by it. The prince, Alpheo, eyes burning with ice , steel pressed to Talek's neck, demanding surrender from his troops.
It was ironic that he was the one who turned the key to the power that Alpheo now had.
