"Not good! It's the Sea King!" Dean Sost and Duke Morissent both went pale. The duke looked at Dean Sost with suspicion. Only Dean Sost could control the Sea King, so when it suddenly stirred to life, he was the first suspect.
But Duke Morissent quickly dismissed the thought. Dean Sost looked every bit as shocked as he was, and that split-second reaction would have been hard to fake. Besides, Dean Sost had no reason to cause trouble now. It would gain him nothing, put him in an awkward position, and might even arouse the Divine Eagle Empire's suspicions.
"Who did this? Who activated the Sea King? That's impossible!" Dean Sost cried. He immediately reached out to the Sea King's core through their Mental Link and ordered, "Sea King, stop activating at once!" But a Magic Barrier infused with Natural Divine Power blocked his command. "No! Someone's trying to steal the Sea King!"
Duke Morissent sensed that Natural Divine Power too, and his expression darkened. He was certain now: it came from High Priest Sonic, the leader of the Nature Hermitage!
"Sonic! How dare you!" Duke Morissent roared. He had been reluctant to work with High Priest Sonic from the start, believing the man too ambitious to be trusted.
But High Priest Sonic had used his connections with the empire's Prime Minister to secure an eager recommendation to His Majesty the Emperor. That was how this cooperation had come about. The duke had never imagined that, with victory all but assured, Sonic would make a move to seize the Sea King. The nerve of him!
Duke Morissent smashed through the room's wall and charged out with a crash. The Black Iron Crown above his head blazed with sovereign majesty, its power carrying a vast surge of Divine Power. He drew