Diana staggered back a step, as if struck by an invisible blow. Her previously animated face was now filled with a mixture of disbelief and fear.
"Dragons...?" she repeated, almost without a voice. "No... it's not possible. Vorah has magical walls, sentry towers, air defenses—"
Strax interrupted, his voice as sharp as a blade fresh from the forge:
"And none of them are any use when the protectors themselves are dead. Or have been bought. Or have simply fled."
Diana brought one hand to her mouth, her eyes wide with genuine shock. For the first time in a long time, she looked small — stripped of her flourishes and sarcasm.
"I didn't feel anything... Nothing! How—"
Strax approached, his presence filling the hall like a living shadow. "That barrier was designed for the palace. Made to blind. To keep you here, playing with dollhouses while the world outside bled."
