The silence in the dining hall was a fragile, crystalline thing, shattered by the gory spectacle at the door. For a moment, time itself seemed to freeze. The Aurelion family, a convocation of ancient predators, was rendered utterly still, their faces a gallery of shock and disbelief.
Then the silence broke.
It was not a shout, but a low, guttural roar that erupted from the chest of the patriarch. Morcant Aurelion slammed his fist on the ebony table, the sound like a crack of thunder. The crystal goblets jumped, spilling droplets of blood-wine like crimson tears.
"Virellion!" he bellowed, his ancient eyes blazing with a fury that had toppled houses and ended bloodlines. He pointed a trembling, gnarled finger at Caelan. "What is the meaning of this outrage? You dare to bring this… this butchery into my home? You will explain yourself!"
