The Queens Choice

The echo of the distant howl faded, leaving a suffocating stillness in its wake. The bound rogue slumped against the dirt, the brutal strain of his forced shift rupturing something vital inside his chest. Thick crimson spilled over his lips, but he didn't seem to care. His glassy, failing vision fixed entirely on Valera.

"I can die right now," the bleeding man rasped, a disturbing reverence satur