The chopper's blades carved through the evening sky, a thunderous heartbeat that announced their arrival long before the wheels touched down.
Below, the pack had gathered in a sprawling crescent, their faces lifted toward the descending aircraft. Floating candles dotted the crowd like earthbound stars, their warm glow flickering against the gathering dusk—a welcome befitting royalty.
But as Corvine and Liah descended the metal steps, the warmth in the crowd's eyes flickered into confusion. Their gazes darted between the two, searching for something that wasn't there. The crown. It was absent from their heads.
Kael stepped forward, voicing what everyone was thinking. His brow furrowed, his jaw tight with unease. "What happened? Did we lose the crown?"
Neither Corvine nor Liah offered an answer. It wasn't their place. They simply moved aside, their expressions unreadable, and the crowd's murmurs swelled, anxious, and uncertain.
Then Seraphine appeared at the chopper's door.
