Darius's gaze tracked away, finding something in the darkness spreading across the mountains.
"Everyone expected that man to come home immediately, to return to his family and celebrate his ascension, to take his place as the second Demigod of the Bloodworth line."
His voice dropped lower, becoming almost intimate.
"But instead of doing what everyone expected..."
Another pause, heavier than the first.
"He did something else entirely."
His hand rose, settling over his chest.
"Something he'd wanted to do since the night his older sister's empty casket was lowered into frozen ground."
The wind pulled at his crimson hair, scattering strands across his face.
"You see, ever since that night, a question had been burning in the back of his mind."
His fingers drummed against his ribs, slow and deliberate.
"If the greatest protector in the world cannot keep his loved ones safe from those who hunt them..."
His hand tightened into a fist over his heart.
