Alaric's POV

Ashes still danced in the air like ghostly snowflakes. Ravenhold, once a stronghold of the proud and defiant, was nothing more than a graveyard of broken stone and burned dreams. I stood at the edge of the ruin, the remnants of the city smoldering at my feet, the scent of blood and fire heavy in the wind. My heart should have been calm, satisfied by our overwhelming victory.

But instead, I felt electrified.

I turned my head slightly. "Isn't it beautiful?" I ...