ROYAL BLOOD
For a long moment, there was only silence.
Then, among the dense clusters of leaves, something stirred. A faint rustle, soft as a whisper, swept through the branches. One by one, pairs of eyes ignited in the dark… round, gleaming, and red, burning like embers in a furnace.
At first, there were only two. Then four, then eight… The numbers kept increasing.
The leaves seemed alive with them, countless eyes blinking open in eerie union.
Dozens of owls sat perched along the gnarled limbs, their feathers blending with shadow, their gaze fixed upon the Amilek. Watching. Judging. Like a small coven