The Royal Palace of Sanctum Lux rose from the city's heart like a monument to divine authority. White stone that gleamed even through smoke and ash, towers that reached toward heaven, and walls that—while not as thick as the outer defenses—were still formidable barriers.
The approach was a wide plaza, deliberately cleared of cover, designed to be a killing ground for anyone attacking the palace.
And arrayed across that plaza were the final defenders.
Fifteen thousand soldiers in perfect formation. Battle-priests on elevated positions, hands already glowing with prepared holy magic. Siege equipment that had been repositioned to fire into the plaza rather than out of it.
And at the center of it all, standing on the palace steps like monuments to martial perfection, the two remaining Grand Commanders.
