King Mikael stormed through the halls of the royal palace, his boots slamming into the floor with such force that his guards exchanged wary glances but said nothing.
The ornate murals of past monarchs and saints blurred past him as he walked, his fury burning under his skin like wildfire.
His destination was behind the double doors right ahead of him. A door made with dark oak, gilded and carved with the symbol of the Shivering Tree intertwined with the Royal Crest.
When he got there, Mikael didn't stop. He shoved the doors open with both hands, the heavy wood slamming into the inner walls with a loud crack.
Inside, Father Atticus, the representative of the Synod stationed in the King's Court, looked up from his lectern with mild irritation. He sat calmly in a sunlit study, ink still drying on a parchment filled with church doctrine.
He did not stand.
And that burned.
