Jasper left Duke Noah's manor, his mind swirling with the weight of their discussion. The political games in Lilith, the assassination of Lord Thalorian, and the power vacuum left behind—all of it was leading to chaos. But his thoughts kept drifting back to Wallux and Nicole.
The council's decision to destroy the town, the way they had treated her, had left a burning rage in his chest. He couldn't forget what they had done to her while he had been away, lost in a fog of memory loss. The memory of Nicole, battered and broken, pleading with those men for mercy, haunted him. But at least he had found some satisfaction in tracking down the men who had harmed her. Watching the light leave their eyes as he ended their lives had brought him a twisted sense of joy.
