A gasp rippled through the soldiers on the wall. A few stepped back. One woman made the sign of the Goddess across her chest.
Then just as quickly as it came, it passed.
Aldren steadied himself against the battlement and forced his breathing even.
He knew this man. Everyone did. The reports were extensive, contradictory, and mostly useless, but certain facts had survived the noise.
Quinlan Elysiar was dangerous. That was beyond dispute.
He was also a coward.
The same man who fled from Queen Morgana when she cornered him. The same man who ran to the Elvardian alliance because he couldn't crack the barriers protecting the kingdom's settlements on his own. He needed dwarven siege engines to do what he couldn't. He needed an army to open the doors so he could walk through them.
Without the war machine behind him, the Primordial Villain was a lone wolf howling at a fortress.
Impressive noise. No bite.
Aldren turned to his soldiers.
"That man is a vulture!"
