Shadow Heir
Men were cut down before they could even turn to face the new threat.
Eolan’s shadow surged forward to intercept them, but something was wrong—their weapons didn’t meet resistance when they struck it. The blades sliced through as though his darkness was nothing but smoke. Pain flared in his chest, sharp and hot, and he staggered.
The heir was beside him in an instant, her sword cleaving through an assassin’s shoulder. “They’ve got something that cuts shadows,” she hissed. “Fall back to the stairs!”
They moved, step by step, forming a smaller circle of defenders at the base of the grand staircase. But the enemy was already pressing from both sides.