One Step (Part 1)

Fyrwal fell to the ground, sobbing. The hole she felt in her chest was no smaller than Phloria's. It shed no blood but it made her feel empty as the pain from losing her friends rose anew.

Inside the Golden Griffon, Thrud burst into a belly laugh while dancing through the Throne Room with the small Valeron the Second in her arms.

"Idiots! All of them, even the Ernas girl. I told her that I'd reunite her with Verhen by the end of the war and I'm going to keep my word. Once I kill him, I'll bury them together!

"I mean, seriously? What kind of forever did she expect? With the academies down, I no longer need her. Phloria's stupid friends should have learned their lesson by now.

"Once I can't keep something, I have no qualms about discarding it. Just like I couldn't stop Verhen from taking my cities, I couldn't stop him from rescuing Phloria. So, I just tossed them away!