The Second-in-Command Captain looked as if he wished the stone floor would open up and swallow him whole. Valex's unhinged calm was far more terrifying than an outright explosion of rage; it felt like standing in the eye of a hurricane, waiting for the wind to tear the world apart.
"Your Highness," the captain whispered, his voice trembling as he kept his head bowed. "The guards on the night shift swear they saw nothing. The perimeter wall was completely clear. There are no broken locks, no signs of an entry, and..."
"And yet my five-month pregnant wife is not in her bed," Valex cut him off. The words were quiet, spoken with a lethal precision that made Kael's jaw tighten from where he stood just behind the King.
