The Skyward Sentinel's landing skids touched the marble platform with barely a whisper, its anti-gravity enchantments dissipating in a shimmer of blue light.
Beyond the viewport, Duke Marveil's capital sprawled in gleaming splendor—towers of white stone crowned with gold, bustling streets lined with merchant stalls, and the distant glint of the ducal palace rising above it all.
Gideon, the Duke's silver-haired chamberlain, stood waiting at the landing site, his hands clasped behind his back. The moment Kael descended the ramp, Gideon offered a perfect bow, his sharp eyes missing nothing—from the Sentinel's flawless construction to the way Alice moved with inhuman grace at Kael's side.
"Welcome, Baron Bryndis," Gideon said, his voice polished from decades of courtly diplomacy. "His Grace is expecting you."
