Chapter 69
Chapter 69
The torches flickered as Kaelen raised his sword. Shadows twisted against the black stone walls. The air was colder now, thick like smoke after fire. Lyra stood beside him, her heart beating hard in her chest.
Something was there hidden in the dark corner of the chamber. A low growl echoed through the air, deep and rough like it came from inside the stone itself.
Then it moved.
A figure stepped out, wrapped in smoke. Its eyes glowed faint red, and every step it took made the walls tremble. Lyra felt it was like old or ancient magic…
Kaelen’s voice dropped to a whisper. “It’s a wraith.”
Lyra frowned. “A wraith?”
He nodded slowly, never taking his eyes off it. “A cursed soul. Created to guard ancient memories… or punish the ones who dare to take them back.”
The creature’s face shifted, turning toward Lyra. It spoke with a voice that didn’t sound human. “Fire Queen… you should have stayed forgotten.”
Before she could answer, the wraith rushed forward. The ground cracked beneath its feet. Kaelen moved fast, blocking it with his sword. Sparks flew as metal met shadow.
Lyra stepped back, fire flashing in her palms, but the wraith’s power was strange; it moved like smoke and flesh at once. Kaelen struck again, his blade slicing through air. “Lyra, stay behind me!”
She shook her head. “I’m not leaving you.”
The wraith’s laughter echoed around them. It turned its gaze toward Lyra, and her head filled with whispers, voices, memories, screams. She saw flashes again. Her hands were covered in blood. Kaelen fell to his knees. The same sword she had just seen in her vision.
“Stop,” she gasped, clutching her head.
Kaelen attacked forward, striking through the wraith’s chest, but instead of falling, the creature wrapped around him like mist. Lyra saw his body jerk as the wraith whispered in his ear, “You did this, Prince of Blood. You begged for her curse.”
Lyra froze. “What does it mean?” she whispered.
Kaelen’s eyes widened in pain. “Don’t listen to it!” He pushed the creature back with one last strike, sending it crashing against the wall. The chamber shook.
Lyra’s flames burst from her hands, spreading across the floor. She aimed at the wraith, fire roaring around her, lighting up the whole room. The creature screamed as the fire burned through it, but even as its body began to fade, it hissed one last time…“The curse lives. The heart beats again.”
Then it vanished.
Silence filled the chamber, broken only by Lyra’s heavy breaths. Her knees weakened, and Kaelen caught her before she could fall.
“It’s gone,” he said softly. “You did it.”
Lyra’s hands trembled. “No. It said… you begged for my curse.” She looked up at him, eyes full of questions. “Kaelen, what did it mean?”
His jaw tightened. “It’s not the time.”
“It is,” she said quietly. “You’re hiding something.”
Kaelen looked away, his face pale under the dim torchlight. “I thought I could save you. I thought the curse would keep you alive. But it took more than I ever imagined.”
Lyra’s heart sank. She didn’t know whether to be angry or afraid. “You cursed me?”
“No,” he said quickly. “I tried to protect you. You were dying, Lyra. I begged the witches to save your life, but the magic they used took your memories instead. It broke everything between us.”
She took a step back, her eyes glistening. “So that’s why I forgot you.”
Kaelen didn’t answer, but the look in his eyes said everything.
Before either could speak again, the ground rumbled beneath their feet. Stones began to fall from the ceiling. “We have to leave!” Kaelen shouted. He grabbed her hand, pulling her toward the stairs. They ran up together as dust and debris rained down.
The hatch above them burst open, and cold air filled their lungs as they stumbled back into the ruins of the courtyard. The soldiers who had been guarding the area rushed toward them.
“Your Majesty!” one shouted. “Are you hurt?”
Lyra shook her head, trying to catch her breath. “No. But seal that passage. No one goes down there again.”
The soldier bowed and ran to follow her orders. Kaelen stood beside her, breathing hard, his cloak torn and streaked with dust.
Lyra turned to him. “That thing it knew about us. About what you did.”
Kaelen’s voice was quiet. “The wraith was born from regret. It feeds on what people hide.”
Lyra stared at him. “Then it fed well tonight.”
For a moment, they just stood there, the night cold around them. Kaelen wanted to reach for her, to tell her the rest, but a shout broke through the silence.
A messenger ran across the courtyard, panting. “Your Majesty! The council they’ve called for an urgent meeting! They say there’s… unrest inside the capital.”
Lyra frowned. “Unrest?”
“Yes, my queen,” the soldier said. “The people are scared. They saw the fire, and now… they think you’ve brought a vampire into the sacred halls.”
Lyra’s stomach tightened. She glanced at Kaelen, whose expression turned hard and calm. “They’ll come for me next,” he said.
“Let them,” Lyra replied quietly. “I won’t let them touch you.”
Kaelen gave a faint, sad smile. “You’d protect me, even after what I did?”
“You saved me,” she said. “Twice now. That’s enough.”
The messenger bowed again. “They’re waiting, my queen.”
Lyra nodded. “Tell them I’m coming.”
When the soldier left, Kaelen stepped closer. The sky above them was beginning to darken strangely. A red glow shimmered along the clouds, faint but clear.
Lyra followed his gaze. “What is that?”
Kaelen’s hand gripped his sword tightly. “The eclipse. It’s starting.”
She felt a cold chill run down her spine. The prophecy. The wraith’s last words echoed in her mind.
“The heart awakens… and so does the curse.”
Lyra turned toward the castle gates, firelight flickering in her golden eyes. “Then we find the truth before it’s too late.”
Kaelen nodded beside her. “Together.”
But as they walked toward the council chambers, the red light above them grew stronger, spreading a strange glow over the ruins. And somewhere deep inside the earth, beneath the broken tower, something moved ag
ain quietly, slowly, waiting.
The shadow that had escaped was not gone.
It was only beginning to wake.