Cassian stood up first, his massive body easily stepping out into the open air. He did not wait for Lin Wan to move; he simply reached back inside, his large, powerful hand wrapping securely around her arm, and pulled her out onto the smooth marble floor boards.
Lin Wan's boots touched the ground, and she immediately looked up, her breath hitching sharply in her chest.
*Gasp.*
The palace loomed over them like a massive, sleeping beast. The walls were constructed from pure white jade that glowed with a faint, inner light, and the grand entrance was flanked by twelve massive pillars carved into the shapes of roaring manticores with extended wings.
Standing in perfect rows across the entire courtyard were hundreds of high-tier royal officials, elders, and commanders. The moment Cassian stepped onto the stone, the entire crowd dropped to their knees, their long robes trailing in the dust as they bowed their heads to the floor.
