"We are already late," I said, my voice a low, urgent murmur that cut through the heavy silence of the antechamber. "It will be time for me to step up soon."
Lilith, the Dragon Queen, nodded, her crimson eyes, which had been so full of a cold, righteous fury, now gleaming with a new, dangerous light. "Yes," she agreed, her own voice a low, conspiratorial whisper. "And my absence will backfire on me if I linger too long. I have many enemies behind my back, and they will use any perceived weakness against me."
We left the small, silent chamber, the heavy, sound-proofed door closing behind us with a soft, final thud. She returned to her throne with a graceful, regal poise, her expression once again a mask of cool, bored indifference. I, on the other hand, made my way back toward the stage, my own heart a frantic, panicked drum in my chest. The game was afoot. The pieces were in motion. And I was about to make my move.
