Chapter 44: Alric’s Coronation Sabotaged
The bells of Velandria rang in thundering harmony, their deep chimes echoing through the spires of the capital. The sky above the citadel was cloudless—an eerie calm, as if even the gods held their breath.
From the balcony of her private chamber, Eira watched the crowd gather in the Great Plaza below. Nobles in regal silks and military regalia filled the royal terrace, and citizens spilled into the cobbled streets, chanting Alric’s name. Red and gold banners fluttered like flames against the blue sky, bearing the stag crest of House Valenhart.
Yet something inside her twisted. Not nerves. Not dread. Something older. Hungrier.
Selis.
Eira gripped the stone railing. The Oracle’s ultimatum still rang in her mind: Surrender your soul, and Selis wil
