Chapter 17: Blood in the Vault
The vault seemed to shrink around them. The air was thick with the scent of iron and cold stone. Kairo could hear his own heartbeat—steady, but hard—matching the faint thrum of the Seal burning under his skin.
Varik stepped forward, his shadow stretching like claws over the floor. “You’re standing in the heart of my legacy,” he said, voice low and dangerous. “Every Seal in that book is a piece of a crown only I will wear. And you—” his gaze locked on Kairo—“are the missing jewel.”
Kairo didn’t answer. He shifted his weight just enough to keep Varik in his line of sight while noting the positions of the two guards at the door. Kaelen was already edging toward the left one, his hand brushing the hilt of his short blade. Lysandra moved like water toward the s
