The first intrusion was the vibration. A low, rhythmic thrumming that traveled through the floorboards, vibrating in Verona's very marrow before her ears even registered the sound.
Verona bolted to her feet, her heart doing a frantic, ugly dance against her ribs. The peace was gone. Shattered. In its place was the terrifying, metallic clatter of armor. She stood between the door and Elric, her small frame tense, her fingers already twitching with the phantom heat of her magic.
The door didn't just open, it was practically heaved off its hinges.
"Your Grace! By Mother's grace, if you're in here, speak now!"
Zachren's voice didn't carry its usual aristocratic polish. It sounded like a man who had spent the last six hours screaming. He burst into the room, his eyes wild as they scanned the interior. Behind him, a half-dozen elite knights spilled into the clearing, their swords drawn and their breath blooming in white, panicked clouds.
