Elysia entered the king's study, her eyes immediately drawn to the golden armor standing gracefully in the corner of the room. The armor gleamed, as magnificent as the king himself. She moved closer, trailing her fingers along the hard metal, admiring its fine craftsmanship. It looked expensive, which it most likely was.
The strategy to catch Lucan off guard had been successful, but the man was clever enough to divide his forces. While one group was stationed at the border, the other was nearing Valeria's gates.
By midnight, Lucan and his army would be at Valeria's gates. Elysia swallowed hard, her heart pounding in her chest. She had barely gotten more than two hours of sleep over the past three days. Every time she closed her eyes, the disturbing vision from her dream flashed before her. She had tried to convince herself that the nightmare wouldn't come to pass, but she couldn't escape the haunting images of dead bodies and blood covering the ground like water.
