It was harsh, jagged, and dripping with an anger born of sheer fright. "Stop! Get back!"
Eris paused mid-gesture, her hands still wreathed in flickering gold. She looked at him, her brow furrowed in genuine confusion.
Soren slammed his palm into the ground, summoning a jagged wall of ice between them and the advancing Syvrak, buying a momentary, frozen respite.
"I can handle this!" he barked, his voice hard as the permafrost. "I can handle this by myself! Find somewhere safe... get to the tower. You shouldn't be here!"
The rejection hit Eris harder than any physical blow. The hurt flashed briefly in her eyes before being incinerated by an insulted fury. She gestured wildly at the dozens of creatures crawling over the walls, their glowing eyes fixed on the Emperor.
"You can't handle this alone, Soren! Look at them! There are dozens, and you're already surrounded!"
