With Kaleesh expertly guiding Arran through the city's cramped streets and alleys, it wasn't long before they had returned to the gate where they'd faced Kadun's troops earlier that night.
Though only a few hours had passed, little evidence remained of the battle. The bodies had already been taken away, and several groups of guards were hard at work with brooms and buckets of water, removing the blood from the cobblestone as best they could.
By sunrise, Arran thought, there would be barely a trace left of the battle that had claimed so many lives.
The cityfolk would awaken to a new ruler, but few of them would ever realize how bloody the change of power had truly been. And even those who did would only know because they'd lost friends or family.
This last thought caused him some worry. He'd slain hundreds of Darians in the battle, and if word spread — as it certainly would — he would gain no small number of enemies.
