*** Highwood (6:13 A.M.) - Third Person POV
It was early morning in the depths of Highwood's thick forests. The air was full of the sounds of magical beasts and wild creatures—and, strangely, the smell of ale and steel. All of it surrounded the entrance to a covered cave.
Inside…
"Tell me. What did you see?"
Evelina stood over the lone surviving dwarf, her boot pressing down on his chest as he lay on the packed earth. Somehow, he had managed to hide during Vance's invasion of Highwood.
Evelina was here for one reason: to discover what Vance Arden had used to seize such a contested, hostile land so quickly that even the D'Arclights had been caught off guard.
She had seen the new Marquis unveil his mysterious new patron, but what she witnessed hadn't been enough.
She needed more answers—for herself, and for her father.
"S–Spare me, please!"
"Quit your begging, worm. Speak, and you may live."
