[Zahryssar Empire — The Imperial Court — Two Weeks Later]
The massive court of Zahryssar stood beneath blazing golden light.
Tall pillars carved with ancient serpent sigils rose toward the high ceiling, and between them burned rows of braziers filled with blue flame, their smoke curling slowly into the air like coiling serpents.
The hall was full.
Every noble house of Zahryssar had been summoned. Silk robes, jeweled crowns, and dark armor filled the lower court, while at the top of the stone stairway sat the throne of the Serpent Emperor.
Zeramet Karash, silent, cold, and unreadable. In his hand rested a sealed parchment. He read the final line once more.
His jaw tightened.
Then—
THROW!!
The parchment struck the marble steps and slid down toward the nobles below.
"Useless."
His voice echoed across the hall like a blade striking iron. "Why should Zahryssar involve itself in a quarrel over a vault buried between two lesser empires?"
