THE NIGHT MY MATE BURNED ME ALIVE
Lantern light spilled into the chamber.
Shelves lined the walls from floor to ceiling, filled with ancient crowns, ceremonial weapons, faded banners, and relics collected over generations of Blackwood rule.
Most were ordinary.
One wasn't.
At the center of the room stood a stone pedestal.
Resting upon it was a silver crown.
No jewels decorated it.
Instead, seven empty sockets circled the band, each shaped to hold a crystal. Delicate dragon wings arched backward from either side, and ancient runes shimmered faintly across the metal.