Council Leader Matthias POV
The Shadowbane power hit me like a punch to the chest, and I dropped my wine glass on the marble floor.
Two hundred miles away. They were two hundred miles away, and I could still feel their power burning through my veins like liquid fire. After twenty-eight years of careful planning, Zander and Kira Shadowbane were finally waking.
And they were stronger than I'd ever dreamed.
"Sir?" My helper Marcus stepped forward, worry creasing his young face. "Are you hurt?"
I wiped blood from my nose and smiled. "No, Marcus. I'm perfect. Send word to the Shadow Army leaders - we move now. Not tomorrow, not in an hour. Now."
"But sir, the plan called for a dawn attack. We're not in position yet—"
I grabbed him by the throat and lifted him off his feet. His eyes went wide with fear as my own magic flared, turning my fingers into claws.
"The plan has changed," I said softly. "Do you know why?"
He shook his head, unable to speak.
