Aldric's gaze flicked to the faint blue fire still clinging to Lorraine's skin before turning to Leroy. "What are you planning to do?" he asked, his voice low.
He didn't want to linger here, because Sylvia would be waiting, worried, but she would never rest until she knew what had truly happened. And so, neither could he.
It was then he noticed it… something had changed in Leroy's face. The mark was the same, but the air around him felt… different. There was something else too. But he couldn't place it, and there was no time to. The Emperor would send more men soon; Aldric needed to know what came next.
Leroy's eyes softened as he looked at Lorraine, then steadied. "I'm taking her away," he said quietly. "You know what to do."
Aldric raised a brow. He'd known Leroy wanted to leave, but after all that had just unfolded, he had thought, he hoped, that the prince might change his mind. But Leroy hadn't. His resolve was iron now.
