Reborn to Reign

Chapter 5: The Hounds Close In

Pandora's POV

I jumped to my feet and pressed my face against the small metal air vent near the ceiling. The front yard was covered in thick gray fog. Marching through the mist were eight big guards wearing the heavy black metal armor of Roman's personal squad. They were holding thick iron chains.

At the ends of those chains were three huge hunting dogs. The dogs were massive, their sharp metal collars clinking as their noses sniffed the cold dirt, growling and pulling on the chains. Roman walked right behind them, his black fur coat blowing in the wind. Next to him walked Silas.

"Search the horse barns and the hay rooms first," Silas commanded, his loud voice cutting through the cold air. "Check every vent, every drain, and every loose floorboard. If you find a single hidden tool, a knife, or any stolen silver, bring it straight to me."

"Are you sure we need to do this, Father?" Roman asked, touching the sword at his hip. "Bastian's guards are already riding through the gates. If the visiting Alpha lords see our hunting dogs tearing through the grounds, they will think we do not have control of our territory."

"I do not care what the lords think," Silas growled, his jaw tight. "The high priest sent a message by bird this morning. The priests held a prayer at the temple at sunrise. They say the energy in this valley is wrong. There is an unclean presence rotting inside these walls, and I know it has something to do with that b***h. She is planning something."

Silas stopped walking. He turned his cold grey eyes right toward the wall of the washhouse.

"Search the servant rooms, the laundry rooms, and the lower cellars first," Silas ordered. "Tear every single room apart."

My heart pounded against my ribs like a trapped bird. They were not just adding more guards for Bastian. They knew. Someone had seen something, or the temple priests had felt that something was wrong. I backed away from the metal vent, my back hitting the cold stone wall.

My hands started to shake. I could not wait until tomorrow night.

If I waited, those big hunting dogs would smell my hidden bundle behind the wall stones before the sun went down. They would find the silver coins. They would find the map. My stolen treasures. And Roman would drag me out into the yard and beat me to death.

I looked down at my wrapped, burned hand. It hurt terribly, but deep inside my chest, a cold, hard choice locked into place. It has to be tonight. Tonight, during the big opening feast. While the music was playing, the wine was flowing, and every single person in the room was watching Bastian and Aurelia.

I had twelve hours to find another way over the high stone wall. And if I failed, I was dead.