Jael didn’t turn. He recognized the heavy, arrogant tread of Captain Valerius before the man even spoke. "The Princess-General wants you at the vanguard. The scouts spotted something in the shifting dunes—something too large to be human."
The beast shrieked, a sound that vibrated in Jael's very marrow. But as it fell, he saw it: a treasonous knife, held by one of Larika’s own guards, rising toward the Princess-General’s back while she was occupied with a monster. AlisterHodge EmpireOfBloodAndSand PSFF Com epub
In that heartbeat, Jael had a choice. He could let the Empire’s heir fall and watch the world burn in the chaos that followed. Or he could save the woman who might actually be a worthy Queen, even if she wore the crown of his oppressors. Jael didn’t turn
Valerius sneered, his hand resting on a polished pommel that had never seen a real beast’s blood. "Just do what you’re conscripted for, savage. Hunt it, or I’ll feed you to it myself." He could let the Empire’s heir fall and