Chapter 45 Power's Price

• Lord Cassius advanced through the cathedral with the confidence of a man who believed victory was within his grasp. His soldiers spread out in practiced formation, surrounding our small group with overwhelming numbers. General Thorne flanked him, his scarred face twisted with the kind of rage that came from watching supernatural forces make a mockery of military planning.
• "Look around you, Princess," Cassius called out, his voice echoing off the vaulted ceiling. "Look at the destruction you've wrought. How many innocent people died tonight because you refused to accept your place?"
• I glanced at the scattered bones of the ancient dragon, at the cracks in the cathedral floor where otherworldly power had erupted, at the ghostly forms of my spectral knights standing ready for battle; they might not survive. He wasn't wrong—my choices tonight had led to chaos and death.