Nova's POV
The name hit the ballroom like a second chandelier falling.
Ravenna.
Nova watched it move through the room through the guards, through the court, through Ryder, who had gone completely still with his hand back on his sword and she watched it reach Thorne, and she watched him not flinch. He just went quiet in the specific way he went quiet when he was taking in something dangerous and deciding what to do about it.
"How large," he said to the guard.
"The rider said she said enough to cover the southern valley. Wall to wall." The guard's voice was steady. He was working hard to keep it that way. "Dark creatures, Your Majesty. Like the ones tonight, but" He stopped.
"But what," Thorne said.
"Bigger."
Nobody spoke.
