So this was what it was like to be feared. People who had heard the rumors had always been suspicious of Tal, wary of the possibilities of his blood, but they’d never cowered before him. They’d never shouted in panic and scurried away like they did now. The pulse of power was heady, warm and filling, a match to his pounding heartbeat. Intoxicated, Tal finally understood the appeal. He’d never felt as close to his great-grandfather as he did right now, with embers fluttering on the hot wind and terror seizing the minds of those who’d hurt him. He was no longer powerless and weak. He was in
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