Mara spotted one of the mixed-blood demons, the original Borgia knight she had dispatched earlier, descending toward the port, wings cutting through the air effortlessly. He landed before her with a thud, bowing his head just briefly.
"The elves have roughly three hundred aboard," he reported, voice steady. "The humans are about the same—perhaps a few more."
"Good," Mara said, arms folding as she glanced toward the distant silhouettes of the foreign ships. "Then we treat them well while they wait for our emperor."
Marvessa stood beside her, her expression calm, despite the tension humming through the port. She hadn't planned to accompany Mara, she just wanted to protect the empress. But she was the fastest among the shadow knights and knew every hidden path and shortcut across Kaelindor. Vivianne had sent her personally to speed the coordination.
"Did Her Highness tell you anything more?" Mara asked, her eyes flicking sideways.
