Chapter Seven: The Thing Beneath the Throne
1111 Words
The ground shook again.
Not violently.
Not like an explosion.
But like something massive had just shifted deep beneath the castle.
A slow, heavy movement that sent cracks crawling across the courtyard stones.
The silver light beneath my skin pulsed in response.
Once.
Twice.
Then brighter.
My knees nearly buckled.
“What’s happening to me?” I gasped.
No one answered.
Because every vampire in the courtyard had turned toward the towering black castle behind us.
Even Lucien.
For the first time since I’d met him, the Hybrid King looked… unsettled.
Another tremor rolled through the ground.
Adrian’s voice broke the silence.
“That came from the lower chambers.”
Lucien’s gaze sharpened.
“No.”
Adrian frowned.
“No?”
Lucien’s crimson eyes darkened as he stared at the castle.
“Lower.”
A cold chill crawled up my spine.
“How much lower?” I whispered.
The answer came from Davies.
“The crypt.”
Everyone turned toward the hunter.
Lucien’s voice dropped dangerously.
“You seem very informed for someone who just arrived.”
Davies didn’t flinch.
“I’ve been studying this castle for years.”
“Then you should know the consequences of lying.”
“I’m not lying.”
Davies pointed toward the castle.
“There’s something buried beneath it.”
Lucien’s expression hardened.
“I’m aware.”
Davies’ eyes flicked toward me.
“And it’s reacting to her.”
A murmur spread through the vampires lining the courtyard walls.
My pulse quickened.
“That’s ridiculous.”
But the silver light under my skin flared again.
And the ground trembled.
Lucien’s gaze snapped back to me.
Sharp.
Focused.
Calculating.
Then he did something that surprised everyone.
He walked toward me.
Slowly.
Purposefully.
“Stay where you are,” Adrian warned quietly.
Lucien ignored him.
Step by step, the king approached.
Every vampire in the courtyard watched him with tense anticipation.
I swallowed hard.
“Lucien…”
He stopped directly in front of me.
The silver glow beneath my skin illuminated his face in flickering light.
His crimson eyes studied me carefully.
“You feel it too, don’t you?” he said quietly.
I hesitated.
Because the answer terrified me.
“Yes.”
Lucien’s gaze flickered.
“Describe it.”
“It’s like…” I struggled for the words. “Like something is calling me.”
Silence fell.
Davies cursed under his breath.
Lucien turned toward him slowly.
“You knew.”
Davies ran a hand through his hair.
“I suspected.”
Lucien’s eyes burned.
“Explain.”
Davies hesitated.
For the first time since he had entered the courtyard, the hunter looked uncertain.
“That thing beneath your castle…”
Lucien’s voice turned icy.
“Choose your next words carefully.”
Davies met his gaze.
“It wasn’t always buried there.”
The courtyard went still.
Adrian stepped forward again.
“What does that mean?”
Davies exhaled slowly.
“It means your kingdom wasn’t built on empty ground.”
Lucien’s expression darkened.
“Continue.”
Davies nodded toward the castle.
“Long before vampires ruled this city… something else did.”
A ripple of unease passed through the vampires.
I felt the silver energy surge again.
Stronger this time.
My vision blurred.
“What kind of something?” Adrian asked.
Davies answered quietly.
“Something older than vampires.”
The courtyard fell silent.
Lucien stared at him.
“You’re talking about myths.”
Davies shrugged.
“Most myths start somewhere.”
Lucien’s patience snapped.
“Enough riddles.”
The air around him shifted suddenly.
Cold.
Dangerous.
The raw power of a hybrid king pressing against the courtyard like a storm.
“Tell me exactly what’s beneath my castle.”
Davies didn’t look away.
“A prison.”
The word landed heavily in the night air.
Lucien’s voice lowered.
“And what exactly is imprisoned?”
Davies’ eyes flicked toward me.
“That’s the problem.”
Lucien’s jaw tightened.
“Explain.”
Davies spoke slowly now.
“As far as the records say… the creature beneath this castle was sealed there centuries ago.”
“By who?”
“By the first hybrid.”
My heart skipped.
Lucien’s head turned slowly toward me again.
The silver light under my skin pulsed harder.
“No,” I whispered.
Davies continued.
“The creature was too dangerous to destroy.”
Lucien’s voice was barely audible.
“So they buried it instead.”
Davies nodded.
“And built a kingdom on top of the prison.”
The courtyard trembled again.
But this time—
Something else happened.
A deep sound echoed from beneath the castle.
Not an explosion.
Not an earthquake.
A roar.
Low.
Ancient.
Alive.
The vampires around the courtyard stiffened.
Even Lucien went still.
“What was that?” someone whispered.
My chest tightened.
Because the silver energy inside me reacted violently to the sound.
Like it recognized it.
Lucien turned slowly toward the castle.
“That,” he murmured, “should not be possible.”
Davies’ voice was grim.
“It’s waking up.”
Another roar echoed through the night.
Louder.
Closer.
Stone cracked along the courtyard floor.
The silver light beneath my skin flared again.
Pain shot through my body.
I dropped to my knees.
“Lira!” Lucien grabbed my arm.
The moment his hand touched me—
The silver energy exploded outward.
A shockwave rippled across the courtyard.
Vampires stumbled back.
The iron gates rattled violently.
Even Lucien staggered one step.
Davies stared at me in disbelief.
“What the hell is she?”
Lucien’s eyes burned with something darker now.
Something almost… excited.
“I believe,” he said slowly, “we’re about to find out.”
Another roar shook the castle.
This one so powerful the courtyard walls trembled.
Adrian looked toward the towering structure with growing alarm.
“Lucien…”
But Lucien didn’t answer.
He was still staring at me.
Then he said something that made the air go cold.
“If that creature is responding to her…”
Davies finished the sentence.
“Then she’s the key to the prison.”
My blood ran cold.
“No.”
Lucien’s smile appeared slowly.
Sharp.
Dangerous.
“Or,” he said softly, “she’s the one who locked it away.”
The ground cracked again.
This time a massive fissure split across the courtyard floor.
A blast of ancient air erupted from beneath the castle.
And from somewhere deep underground—
A voice echoed through the darkness.
Not loud.
Not roaring.
Just one whisper carried on centuries of silence.
But every vampire in the courtyard heard it.
So did I.
The voice spoke one word.
My name.
“Lira.”
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