Hera felt true fear for the second time in the past two days.
The first had been when facing the monster that was Kael Duskborne. His power had been unprecedented.
Only high-ranking officials and the Royals carried weapons of the Shattered Star. They had made sure of that.
So where did the gem come from? Hera had never heard of anything like it before.
Even just thinking about Kael made her scared. She could've died back there. They all could've.
And now, Hera was returning to the Royals with nothing but failure.
She had promised the head of the miners' leader after they had found out Kreel was dead.
Instead, she was returning without her Staff and without Kael Duskborne's head.
But Hera had a duty to fulfill. If she turned heel and ran, she'd become a fugitive of the Capitol for the rest of her life. An exile.
I'd rather be a failure than a coward.
Hera's boots clicked against the cobblestone streets, a sharp contrast to the mud-caked paths of the Slums.
