Panic erupted. Screams filled the air. There was utter chaos.
Knights shielded the prince and his two wives.
Guards surged forward, weapons drawn. Shouts echoed against the four corners of the hall. People screamed and shoved toward the exits as panic rippled through the crowd like wildfire.
"Seal the gates!"
"Protect the crown prince!"
"Find the assassin!"
The air was thick with confusion and fear. Ministers stumbled down from the dais, as they shoved one another, robes snagging in their haste.
The nobles tripped over one another, some falling to the marble floor as guards swept through, indiscriminately shoving them aside.
At the center of it all, General Odin remained still, like a mountain amidst a landslide. His sons, like him stood unperturbed.
Amidst the chaos, Espiyor, dazed, stared at his hand and leg in shock. They throbbed with pain, yet bore no wounds, just a strange swelling, as though struck by invisible force.
He scrambled upright, only to collapse again.
