Shadows Enter Fantom City
Late at night, secretly, while the capital slept, several nobles gathered in one of the forgotten chambers beneath the royal district.
No servants had been informed.
No guards had been summoned.
Even the attendants who normally carried messages through the noble quarter were kept outside.
The chamber was lit only by a few dim mana lamps, their pale glow falling across a long stone table.
Around it stood several nobles dressed in dark traveling clothes.
Their expressions were tense.
One of them placed a rolled map upon the table and slowly opened it.
Fantom City was marked in red.
Beside it were several smaller markings representing roads, forests, patrol routes, and the hidden paths leading into the city.
"We have wasted enough time," an elderly noble said quietly.
His fingers tapped against the map.
"The queen has made her decision. She intends to deal with the Blackthorn Kingdom first."
Another noble gave a bitter laugh.
