Far away, in a hidden chamber lit by a single lamp, six cloaked figures convened around a circle. The air reeked of smoke and blood.
"The Smoke Lord has fallen," hissed one with a serpent's tone.
"Impossible," another growled.
"The Usuki warriors did this," a deep voice said. "They broke the rules. Now they must suffer."
The leader—the Sun King—rose slowly from his seat, his cloak shifting like flame. "Then we make the people pay. We strike their vassals, burn their homes, and break their spirits. And as for the ones who killed her…"
His voice hardened.
"We will kill them."