Chapter 25 The Price Of Victory

• Dawn was breaking over the castle as we emerged from the depths, my grandfather leaning heavily on my arm while Prince Aldric supported his other side. The great hall was a battlefield of overturned tables and bloodstained tapestries, but the surviving guards and servants were already beginning to clean up the aftermath of our fight with the cultists.
• Captain Thorne met us at the entrance, his weathered face showing relief when he saw we were alive.
• "Princess, Your Highness—the castle is secure. Most of the cultists surrendered when they felt their leader's death."