Shadows Before the Court
In the days that followed, the Barsons and Reuben's closest allies were dragged before the court for questioning. Rumors spread like wildfire through the capital, whispers of betrayal and treason tainting their once-proud name.
But Duval, ever cunning, had already slipped away. His vast network of spies warned him of the coming storm, and before dawn on the morning after Zura's attack, he vanished across the border into Westalis with his wife and children. By the time the city guard came searching, he was nothing but a ghost.
The Reckoning of the Barsons
The court was packed, heavy with silence. Heimdal stood at its center, a lone figure holding the weight of the kingdom's justice. His voice, steady and deliberate, revealed truth after truth like hammer blows against stone. With measured calm, he laid out the evidence he had gathered piece by piece, each revelation tightening the noose around the Barsons' necks.
