And Lysinthia? How could she not feel the same?

She missed the early days, the simple tent in Blackstone City that had been her first real home, the place where she'd had Orion all to herself. She missed Lilith, who had never treated her like a slave, but like a sister.

A serpent must hibernate to grow.

And that is what Lysinthia was doing now. By consuming the serpentfolk, by converting them into Gorgons, she was using their cursed blood to concentrate her own power. She was, bit by bit, augmenting her own potential, her own innate talent.

She knew that at the Alpha-level, she was no longer of much use to Orion or the Horde. Only by ascending to the rank of lord would she earn her place on a grander stage.

"The moonlight tonight really is beautiful," she whispered to the wind. "So intoxicating. So dreamlike."

***

South, on the border of the Stoneheart Horde and blood elf territories.

By either coincidence or design, the envoys from the human kingdom and the blood elf race had converged. They merged into a single, large procession, and on a bright, sunny afternoon, they crossed into the lands of the Stoneheart Horde.

"This place has changed again," Prince Theodore observed, pulling back the curtain of his carriage window. He had been to the Stoneheart Horde several times, and each visit revealed a new transformation.

"The changes are indeed significant," replied Grand Elder Lireesa, who sat opposite him. Accompanying them was Grand Duke Richard. The human kingdom's Saint had already gone ahead and was, at that moment, a guest in the castle in Stoneheart.

The blood elves had no true archlord of their own to send. With their king, Rommath, needed at home, the duty fell to the Grand Elder. Given her age and power, she was a more than suitable representative.

"When the Stoneheart Horde proposed their third Ten-City Plan, this very road connecting our three peoples was part of it," Lireesa said, gesturing outside. Her voice held an emotion that neither Theodore nor Richard could quite decipher. "The dead-earth paving technique is from the dwarves. The thornwood trees lining the road, planted to deter beasts, came from our blood elf seeds. And the owls you see in the trees—a special breed from another elven tribe, their eyes serving as sentinels for the forest and the territory."

She let out a soft, weary sigh. "The rise of the Stoneheart Horde has brought many changes to the south." The Grand Elder's ancient eyes were narrowed, making her look as if she were about to drift off to sleep.

Change was just a polite word for upheaval. And upheaval always came at the expense of the old guard. The human kingdom and the blood elf race were the two pillars of that old guard. In a way, the Stoneheart Horde had built its empire by systematically stripping away the power and influence of their two races.

And there was nothing they could do about it. Everything the horde had taken, it had taken by right of strength.

Anyone who had dared to argue was dead.

"It's not just the roads. It's the waterways," Grand Duke Richard added, his calculating mind always seeing the deeper strategic implications. "That grand canal is the true masterstroke."

The canal, which began at Marina, was like a great artery, connecting every territory in the horde that possessed a river. Its creation did more than just boost trade. It allowed for the rapid movement and flow of populations throughout the entire territory. The deeper meaning of this, beyond the development of resources and mines, was the ability to concentrate vast numbers of people in specific cities on short notice.

And the concentration of population was the crucible in which civilization and technology were forged.

"It is a miracle," even Lireesa had to admit. A portion of the horde's canal system had been built with the help of the Sea Race—a feat the humans and blood elves could not replicate. But they had learned from the example, expanding and connecting their own river systems, and the benefits had been undeniable.

"Elder," Grand Duke Richard asked, his voice low and discreet, "has the Guardian Tree offered any prophecies?"

The real question was left unsaid: Has the King of Giants become a demigod? And if not, when will he?

Lireesa simply shook her head, refusing to answer. In truth, she and King Rommath had jointly sought an audience with the Guardian Tree before their departure. They had been refused.

She remembered the Guardian Tree's words clearly.

"I will not prophesize about any demigod of this world. To see the future, or to fail to see it, would bring only disaster upon the blood elf race."

In its own way, that was an answer.

The thought that Orion, the King of Giants they had all dealt with, was on the verge of godhood felt like a dream.

And for some, it was a nightmare.

Trailing behind Prince Theodore's carriage was another of equal luxury. Inside sat Princess Ava. As the ruler of Soaring Bird City, she too was on the list of invited guests. Her son, Kronos, had already preceded her, entering the Stoneheart Horde's territory and taking up residence in the castle under the watchful eyes of all.

Princess Ava had never dreamed she would one day be attending Orion's wedding. Nor had she imagined it would be a summons she could not possibly refuse.

The conflict tore at her. When we arrive in Stoneheart, do I stay in the guest quarters for foreign envoys, or in the castle with Kronos? Do I present myself as the city-lord of Soaring Bird, or as his woman?

On a personal level, given their history, she wanted nothing to do with Orion. She had used his name, directly and indirectly, to secure countless advantages for herself, but she did not want to see him. It wasn't that she hated him. She feared him. From the moment he had violated her, a permanent shadow had been cast over her heart. Now, with his power and his faction in absolute ascendancy, that fear had only grown more intense.

But in her heart, there was someone else.

Her son, Kronos.

He was the acknowledged giant prince of the Stoneheart Horde, a title of immense prestige. As his mother, she had to be present at these crucial events. She had to stand behind him, to lend him her support, to secure for him every ounce of respect and advantage she could.

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