CHAPTER 11: THE FORBIDDEN CHAMBER.
1370 Words
The palace felt different the following morning.
Elara couldn't explain it.
Perhaps it was the way the servants avoided the eastern wing.
Perhaps it was the extra guards stationed along the corridors.
Or perhaps it was the fact that Caelan had barely spoken to her since the garden.
Whatever it was, she could feel it.
Something had changed.
And she intended to find out what.
---
“Elara.”
She turned.
Maya stood at the end of the corridor, carrying several old books.
“Can I speak with you?”
Elara nodded.
Maya glanced around before lowering her voice.
“About yesterday.”
Elara's expression tightened.
“You know about it?”
“I know you were in the eastern gardens.”
“How?”
“Because Caelan asked me to find out what that symbol was.”
Elara's eyes widened.
“And?”
Maya hesitated.
“I found something.”
She opened one of the books.
An old drawing filled the page.
A silver crescent surrounded by strange markings.
Elara's breath caught.
“That was on the wall.”
Maya nodded.
“It appears in records concerning the Moonblood.”
Elara looked at her.
“What is the Moonblood?”
Maya closed the book.
“I don't know yet.”
“You're lying.”
Maya gave her a tired smile.
“Unfortunately, I don't know enough to lie convincingly.”
Before Elara could respond, footsteps approached.
Adrian appeared.
He leaned against the wall.
“You two look suspicious.”
Maya rolled her eyes.
“You're always suspicious.”
“It's one of my better qualities.”
His gaze moved to Elara.
“You look worried.”
“I am.”
Adrian's expression became more serious.
“Then you should probably listen to Maya.”
“Why?”
“Because Caelan isn't the only person searching for answers.”
Elara frowned.
“What does that mean?”
Adrian glanced toward the corridor.
“Someone has been inside the palace.”
Maya's face changed.
“The missing guard?”
Adrian nodded.
“His body was found this morning.”
Silence fell.
“Where?” Elara asked.
“The underground passage.”
Maya closed the book.
“What killed him?”
Adrian looked at her.
“We don't know.”
Elara's stomach tightened.
“Then how do you know it wasn't a person?”
Adrian's eyes moved to her pendant.
“Because whatever killed him left a mark.”
“What kind?”
“A crescent.”
---
The Royal Council
Caelan stood before the council table.
His father sat at its head.
Several nobles surrounded him.
“The eastern seal has weakened,” one of the elders said.
Caelan's jaw tightened.
“Who told you?”
“The archives.”
“Then the archives are no longer secure.”
The king leaned forward.
“Have you questioned the girl?”
“Yes.”
“And?”
“She knows nothing.”
A noble scoffed.
“Or she's pretending.”
Caelan's eyes hardened.
“She is hiding something.”
“Then force the truth from her.”
Caelan looked at the man.
“No.”
The room fell silent.
The king studied his son.
“Why?”
“Because fear will make her conceal more.”
“And what do you suggest?”
Caelan's expression remained cold.
“I'll find the truth myself.”
The king nodded slowly.
“Then do it quickly.”
Caelan turned to leave.
His father stopped him.
“Caelan.”
He looked back.
“If the girl becomes a threat…”
A pause.
“You know what must be done.”
Caelan's expression didn't change.
“I know.”
He left the chamber.
---
The Queen's Prison
Elara's mother sat beside the small window of her cell.
She had heard the bells.
She knew what they meant.
The first seal had weakened.
She closed her eyes.
“Elara…”
A guard approached.
“You've been summoned.”
She looked up.
“By whom?”
“The prince.”
Her expression immediately hardened.
“No.”
The guard frowned.
“He ordered that you be brought to the council chamber.”
“I won't go.”
The guard reached for the cell door.
Before he could unlock it, another voice came from the corridor.
“Leave her.”
Caelan appeared.
The guard bowed and stepped away.
Caelan approached the bars.
“You're coming with me.”
Her mother stared at him.
“You should stay away from my daughter.”
Caelan's eyes narrowed.
“You know why she's here.”
“I know enough.”
“Then tell me.”
“No.”
His expression became colder.
“Your refusal won't protect her.”
Her mother stepped closer to the bars.
“You think you are protecting her?”
“I don't.”
The answer was immediate.
“I am protecting my kingdom.”
She studied him.
“And if protecting your kingdom means destroying her?”
Caelan didn't answer.
Her mother smiled sadly.
“Then perhaps you are exactly the prince I feared you'd become.”
For the first time, something flickered in his eyes.
Not pity.
Not compassion.
Anger.
“Take her to the council chamber.”
The guards obeyed.
As they passed him, her mother whispered,
“You will regret bringing her into your world.”
Caelan watched her disappear.
His face remained expressionless.
But his hand tightened around the hilt of his sword.
---
The Forbidden Chamber
That night, Elara couldn't sleep.
The symbol from the garden kept appearing in her mind.
She finally left her room.
She didn't know where she was going.
Until she found herself standing before a narrow staircase she had never noticed before.
She descended.
One step.
Then another.
The air grew colder.
At the bottom stood an enormous stone door.
A silver crescent was carved into its center.
Elara reached toward it.
The door opened.
By itself.
She stepped inside.
The chamber was filled with ancient paintings.
Kings.
Queens.
Battles.
And at the center of every painting was the same silver crescent.
Then she saw something that made her stop breathing.
A portrait of a woman.
Her hair.
Her eyes.
Her face.
Elara stepped closer.
It was her.
Or someone who looked exactly like her.
Beneath the portrait were words written in ancient script.
She couldn't understand them.
Until her pendant began to glow.
Suddenly, the words became clear.
THE LAST MOONBLOOD.
Elara's heart pounded.
“No…”
A sound came from behind her.
She turned.
Caelan stood in the doorway.
His expression was colder than she'd ever seen it.
“What are you doing here?”
Elara stepped backward.
“I don't know.”
His gaze moved to the portrait.
Then to her.
For several seconds, he said nothing.
Finally, he walked toward her.
“You've been lying to me.”
“I haven't!”
“You said you knew nothing.”
“I didn't!”
His eyes narrowed.
“Then explain that.”
He pointed toward the portrait.
Elara stared at it again.
“I've never seen her before.”
Caelan stepped closer.
“She's your ancestor.”
“How do you know?”
“Because that portrait is over three hundred years old.”
Elara's breath caught.
“And she looks like me.”
Caelan looked directly into her eyes.
“Yes.”
A strange silence settled between them.
Then the chamber trembled.
Dust fell from the ceiling.
The silver crescent on the wall began glowing.
Caelan immediately grabbed Elara's arm.
“Move.”
“What is happening?”
“I don't know.”
The stone floor cracked.
A deep rumbling sound rose from beneath them.
Then a voice echoed through the chamber.
“The blood has chosen.”
Elara froze.
Caelan drew his sword.
“Who's there?”
The voice answered.
“The heir has returned.”
The chamber shook violently.
And somewhere far away, inside the abandoned fortress, Lucien opened his eyes.
He smiled.
“She found the chamber.”
The woman in crimson looked at him.
“And the prince?”
Lucien's smile widened.
“He found her.”
He looked into the black basin.
“Now the real game begins.”
- Writer
- chap_listContents
- likeADD