Chapter 34 The Kneeling Army

• Except for the clatter of abandoned weapons, the forest was quiet. A whole battalion of Bai soldiers knelt together, their armor creaking as they buried their foreheads in the ground.
• Not from royalty. Not from respect. From fear.
• Like executioner's blades, the chains coiled above their bowed heads, ready to drop at the slightest thought. Jared's crown glowed brighter as it fed off their acquiescence, creating a shadow that seemed bigger than the man.