Jean stood before a mirror, testing the weight of a short sword. Her eyes flicked up to meet her reflection—and for a moment, she didn't see the gentle scholar.
She saw the woman who had survived pirates, betrayal, a royal siege, and now… was arming herself beside a vampire.
"Who are we becoming?" she murmured.
Lucius came up behind her, saw the look on her face, and touched her shoulder.
"We've always been this," he whispered. "You're just finally dressed for it."
When the choosing was done, the party stood at the edge of the vault: Lucius dressed in shadow, Jean in leather armor with emerald stitching, Salviana wearing her polished breastplate over a crimson riding dress, and Alaric in black steel from shoulder to boot.
"They won't be ready for us," Lucius said.
"No," Alaric replied. "But we'll be ready for them."
The mountain had bent for them.
Now it was time to set the world aflame.
