Knight's Sacred Burden
"We're going to the Spring. If it wants you, then we'll give it to them. But we're doing it on our terms."
Kael looked up at Julian, his remaining human eye filled with a mixture of agony and profound gratitude. "You... don't... have to..."
"Shut up," Julian said, wiping a mixture of sweat and black blood from his own brow. "I'm the King's guard. Or at least, I was. It’s my job to clean up the royal mess. Now get up, you oversized piece of glass. We have a palace to tear down."
With a desperate, agonizing grunt, Kael forced his legs to straighten. The joints in his knees popped with a sickening, wet sound, but he stood. He was taller now, his frame swollen and distorted by the thick layers o