Chapter 57 The Fallen Banner

Chapter 57 The Fallen Banner
CHAPTER 57: The Fallen Banner

Aric's POV

The concrete beneath my boots trembled violently. I could feel the clash of steel echoing beneath us, vibrating straight up through my calves.

Darius was down there, fighting in the dark and holding the line against a wave of traitors. Up here, the throne room was a shattered mess of glass, smoke and terror.

"Rennic!" I shouted. My voice was rough, scraping against my throat like sandpaper.

The strain of keeping my wolf partially suppressed made my fangs ache. "Hold these doors and make sure nobody gets past you. If a single rebel sets foot in this room, your life is forfeit."

Captain Rennic slammed a blood-stained fist against his iron breastplate. "With my life, Alpha. Go."

I turned to Seraphine. She looked small against the backdrop of my towering Lycan guards, yet there was a fierce, stubborn fire burning in her eyes. Her fingers were wrapped tight around the hilt of a stolen shortsword.

"I'm going down there," I told her and my heart twisted painfully.

"Don't die in the dark, Aric," she whispered. Her voice shook but she stood her ground.

I stepped close, pressing my forehead against hers for one fleeting, desperate second.

"I'm coming back to you. I promise." I pulled back and looked at my sister. "Lyrin, Caspian, keep her between you. Do not let her out of your sight. Maya, stay close to the walls."

"Just go, brother," Lyrin said, her claws already fully extended. "We will hold the upper halls."

With a final look at my mate, I spun around. I took ten of my warriors and charged toward the service stairs, plunging into the damp belly of the palace.

The air down below was suffocating. It smelled distinctly of wet earth, grease and freshly spilled blood.

My wolf scratched frantically at the inside of my skin, begging to be let out but the tunnels were far too tight.

We rounded the last jagged bend and the sight before me made my blood boil.

Darius was backed hard against a stone pillar, bleeding heavily from a nasty gouge in his shoulder. He was swinging his sword wildly, fending off three rogue Lycans at once.

Behind them, stacked high on wooden transport wagons, was our royal steel. The entire armory, ready to be stolen.

Standing calmly by the lead wagon was Varak.

"Varak!" I roared. The sheer force of my Alpha command rattled the loose stones from the ceiling.

The three rogues attacking my cousin flinched. That split second was all Darius needed. He drove his blade upward through a rogue's ribs just as I hit the front line like a battering ram.

I didn't even bother drawing my sword. My bare claws tore through the thick chest of the closest attacker, snapping his collarbone with a sickening crunch. I grabbed him by the throat and threw his heavy weight into the stone wall.

"Aric," Darius gasped, sliding down the pillar as he clutched his bleeding arm. "He opened the gates. The bastards came from the inside."

I locked glowing eyes with Varak across the chaotic cavern. He didn't look guilty but looked incredibly cold.

"You bow to a human, Aric," Varak spat, slowly drawing his massive broadsword.

"You made the crown weak. This pack belongs to the strong."

"You call sneaking in the dark strong?" I snarled, stepping over a groaning body as my claws dripped with hot blood.

"I trusted you. I will take your head right now."

Varak just smiled. He whistled sharply and two massive rogues threw themselves directly in my path. I slammed into them, tearing at flesh and leather armor but their combined weight slowed me down.

By the time I ripped the second rogue's throat out, Varak had already jumped onto the last smallest wagon.

"Leave the rest!" Varak shouted to his surviving men over the chaos.

He whipped the horses violently. "To the capital! The city is already ours!"

He vanished into the northern tunnel, swallowed by the shadows. I took a step forward.

My wolf screamed for his blood, demanding I chase him down but behind me, a rogue was trying to light a torch near the main weapon crates, desperate to burn what they couldn't steal.

"Kill him!" I shouted to my men pointing at the arsonist.

We overwhelmed the remaining stragglers in seconds. Saved the armory, keeping the vast majority of our weapons safe but the bitter taste of betrayal heavily coated my tongue. Varak was gone and he had taken a wagon of steel with him.

I walked over and hauled Darius to his feet. He leaned heavily against my shoulder, his breathing shallow and ragged.

"We kept the weapons," I told him, trying to sound reassuring.

"But they got away," Darius wheezed, wincing as we started the slow, painful climb back up the spiraling stone stairs.

"If Varak is in the city, he will rally the hidden rebels. The palace is entirely cut off."

"We hold the palace first. Then we take back the streets," I grumbled.

When we stepped through the shattered doors of the throne room, my heart sank. It was a complete disaster zone.

The beautiful stained-glass windows were entirely blown out, letting in a chilling breeze. Smoke hung thick in the air and palace servants were rushing around in a panic, carrying water bowls and torn linen to bandage the wounded guards.

Seraphine dropped her sword the exact second she saw me. The metal clattered loudly against the floor. She ran across the ruined marble and threw herself into my arms.

I caught her easily, burying my face in her soft hair. Her sweet scent instantly cut through the awful stench of blood and ash calming my wolf.

"You're bleeding," she whispered frantically, her hands tracing the wet, dark spots on my armor.

"It's not mine," I murmured and held her tighter. "Are you hurt? Did they breach the doors?"

"No, we are fine," Lyrin answered, walking over with her arms crossed tightly over her chest.

Her elegant silver dress was covered in black soot. "But Aric, they didn't try very hard to break in. Someone called them off."

Caspian stepped up beside her, his broad face incredibly grim. "She's right, Alpha. The city is dead quiet. Usually, after a riot, you hear the stragglers yelling, breaking glass and guards shouting for order. Right now? There is absolutely nothing. It’s like the entire capital is holding its breath."

"They're organizing," I said, my voice dropping into a low growl.

"Varak wouldn't have retreated unless he had a fallback plan."

"Let them try," Darius hissed as Maya carefully cleaned his shoulder wound with a wet cloth. "We still have the royal guard. We can crush them."

The heavy silence in the room was suddenly disrupted. The frantic, echoing sound of horse hooves pounded wildly against the cobblestones of the inner courtyard.

Every single Lycan in the room shifted instantly into a defensive stance. I pushed Seraphine firmly behind my back as my claws flexed out.

"Alpha!" a panicked voice screamed from the outer corridor.

A young scout burst through the ruined throne room doors.

His uniform was torn to shreds and he was covered head to toe in mud and blood. He was breathing so hard he could barely stand, eventually collapsing onto his knees directly before my feet.

"Speak," I commanded, my voice demanding obedience.

The scout looked up at me. His face was completely drained of color and his bright yellow eyes were wide with terror. "The city gates... Alpha... the rebels took them in the night."

My heart hammered against my ribs. "What about the gates boy? Spit it out."

The scout swallowed hard, his voice dropping into a chilling, terrified whisper that froze the very air in the room.

"They tore it down, Alpha. The royal banner of the Draven bloodline... it's gone. In its place, hanging from the main city gates for the entire kingdom to see... is the black crescent of the rebellion."