Chapter Five : Gathering Allies
526 Words
The capital of Herem no longer shone.
Smoke curled from its towers, and the once bright flags of Ammon hung limp against gray skies. The streets that had once echoed with laughter now carried only the sound of boots, whispers, and the distant cries of the sick.
Theseus entered through the eastern gate just before dusk. His cloak was torn, his face drawn from sleepless nights, but his eyes burned with purpose. Soldiers stopped him twice, demanding papers and questions he no longer had the strength to answer. The moment he mentioned the word mage, they let him through – not out of respect, but out of fear.
Inside the castle walls, everything felt wrong. The air was colder than it should have been, and the marble floors glistened faintly, as if touched by frost.
He followed the sound of voices until he reached the council chamber.
King Aiden sat at the far end of the room, his crown set aside, his face pale beneath the torchlight. Beside him stood Lady Aurora, still as glass. Her eyes caught Theseus’s the moment he entered – a brief, quiet spark of curiosity cutting through the gloom.
“Theseus of Bethsaida,” the king said. “I was told you studied the ancient texts. You know what this curse is.”
Theseus bowed his head. “I know what it was meant to stay. Not what it’s become.”
“Then speak,” the king said. “What are we facing?”
Theseus hesitated. Every answer he had was one no king wanted to hear. “The relic that sealed the first sorcerer has been taken. Without it, the curse is no longer bound by earth or stone. It moves through life itself – through air, blood, and memory.”
The chamber fell silent.
Queen Sarai’s chair was empty, and Aurora noticed Theseus’s eyes linger there for a moment.
“She’s gone,” the king said quietly. “Taken by the sickness two nights ago.”
Theseus’s jaw tightened. “Then the curse has already touched the royal bloodline.”
At that, murmurs broke out among the council. Some accused the mages. Others accused the gods. But Aurora stayed silent, her eyes fixed on the stranger before her.
There was something in his voice – the kind of steady calm that only came from those who had seen too much.
After the meeting ended, she followed him down the corridor.
“Theseus,” she called.
He turned, startled.
“My father trusts too easily,” she said. “But I don’t. If what you say is true, the curse won’t stop until it’s taken everything. Tell me – is there a way to fight it?”
Theseus met her gaze. “There is always a way. But the path won’t be through this castle.”
“Then where?”
“North,” he said simply. “The heart of Ammon still beats there. And someone else has already begun the journey.”
Aurora frowned. “Who?”
Theseus didn’t answer. But in his mind, the image of a boy with silver eyes burned like a memory that wasn’t his.
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