Chapter 41: The Puppet Master

The sudden disappearance of Gaspar and Malakar left a heavy silence in the banquet hall, broken only by the hurried breaths of the nobles who had narrowly escaped the ambush. James stood at the center of the room, his sword still glowing with dragon energy, his heart racing with the aftershocks of the battle.

Pippy and Cherry moved quickly, securing the remaining armored figures who had been incapacitated. The nobles looked on in stunned silence, their faces pale with shock and confusion. Rhys, still shaken but unharmed, slowly rose from his seat, his eyes darting around the room as if searching for answers.

"What in the name of the gods just happened?" Rhys demanded, his voice a mixture of disbelief and anger.

James sheathed his sword, his expression hard. "A plot, clearly. Gaspar was in on it, but there's more to this than just his treachery. Whoever Malakar is, he had no intention of stopping with a simple assassination."