Chapter 72 Kael Erased
"It seems we won't just have to deal with the erasers," Kael says as we walk through the castle corridors.
The castle was too quiet.
Not the usual silence of the night, but a heavy silence, as if everything were waiting for something to go wrong. The corridors I once knew so well were cold. Distant. Everything seemed different.
"She took advantage of this opportunity. As soon as I stepped outside the castle, my own mother gathered people against me," Conrad says with evident hatred.
I was clinging to his body, and Conrad was supporting me, as if afraid I would collapse at any moment. I see his jaw clenched, his nostrils flared, and his hard gaze.
"Solange gathered people against me," I emphasize.
Conrad finally looks at me.
"You are my soul. My queen and my companion. I placed you on the throne, and now you are part of this kingdom. If anyone tries to hurt you, then they are my enemy!"
His voice is determined.
My stomach churns.
The feeling of always causing trouble washes over me. I stare at Conrad as he carries me down the hallways, looking around. He seemed lost in thought.
Conrad had done so much.
From the very first moment.
He was caring, thoughtful, loving, and loyal. Even under the immense pressure on his shoulders, he was still there.
Here.
By my side.
"Rest a bit. I'm going to the library to try and find records and convincing evidence of what Maya said."
Kael says as we approach my room. Kael stares at me, and I lower my head in silence. After staring at me for a few seconds, Kael continues on his way.
I knew Kael could feel all my feelings.
The truth is: being tested was harder than I thought. I was tested as a person, a wolf, a hybrid, and a queen.
"You're too quiet." Conrad breaks the silence when we're already in the room, taking off our clothes to take a shower.
"I still feel the weakness." I touch my symbol.
"I'll never let them do this to you again!" Conrad says simply, trying to hug me.
I stop him before he gets any closer. I stare at the floor, lost in thought.
"Why do they act like I'm the cause of all this?" I ask, raising my voice, expressing my indignation. "My role as Queen of this kingdom is to ensure everyone is safe and secure. They're acting like the hybrids don't need defending. They know how cruel the erasers are, but they're turning their backs because they're safe. It doesn't matter if an entire race is annihilated."
I sit on the bed, hiding my face in my hands.
Conrad remained silent for a few seconds. He approached slowly, kneeling in front of me, without trying to touch me. As if he knew I needed to speak before being welcomed.
"They don't see you," Conrad finally said. "They see what you represent."
I lifted my face, feeling my eyes burn.
"And what do I represent, after all?"
"Change," he answered without hesitation. "Fear. Too much truth for someone who spent their whole life pretending everything was under control."
I swallowed hard.
"I didn't choose to be Elyrion. I didn't choose the Rift. I didn't choose to be a hybrid..." My voice faltered. "But I chose not to turn my face away."
Conrad took a deep breath, as if each of my words confirmed something he already knew but feared to accept.
"My mother learned to rule believing that silent sacrifices keep the kingdom standing," he said. "You arrived showing that this silence is the problem."
He finally touched my hands, carefully pulling them away from my face.
"It's easier to blame you than to admit that the mistake started earlier. With them. With the council. With the crown."
I felt the weight of it all wash over me like a slow tide.
"So this isn't going to stop, is it?" I asked softly.
"No," he admitted. "Now that the Bond has awakened, no one can pretend anymore."
I got out of bed, feeling my body tired, but my mind too awake to rest. I walked to the window. The moon was high, watching everything, indifferent to human disputes.
"The Elyrion who guided me on the path said this road would be lonely," I murmured. "But I didn't imagine it would be like this... inside the castle."
Conrad approached from behind, his arms firmly around my shoulders.
"You are not alone," he repeated. "Even if they try to isolate you. Even if they vote against you. Even if they pit me against my own mother."
I turned to face him.
"This could cost you your throne."
"Then let it cost you," he replied, without a shadow of a doubt. "A kingdom built on lies doesn't deserve to be inherited."
At that moment, I felt the mark on my chest throb softly. It wasn't pain. It was a warning.
Something was moving.
And it wasn't just coming from outside the walls.
The castle, as well as the kingdom, was about to be forced to choose.
I was lying in my bed. Darkness had already consumed everything, and nothing could be heard except the sound of the wind coming from the open balcony.
Conrad slept soundly beside me, hugging me tightly as if he wanted to ensure he would always be by my side.
I couldn't sleep; the mark on my chest wouldn't let me. It burned, it seemed to plead. I let a few tears fall, begging to be able to sleep peacefully for a while. For a few hours, I didn't want to be a hybrid.
Just for a few hours.
My eyes closed, and I fell into a troubled sleep. I saw pink smoke swirling throughout the castle in my dream. Wrapping itself around all the alphas, infiltrating the castle freely.
The dark magic seemed to know every inch of the castle. It didn't seem like a poorly planned attack; in fact, I could feel the magic's certainty.
The magic knew exactly what it was doing.
I could also hear whispers. As if people were talking amongst themselves, within that magic. Then I see her approaching my room and entering through the cracks in the door.
The magic moves slowly, covering the entire room. But it doesn't approach me; instead, the smoke concentrates entirely on Conrad's body. The smoke completely covered him, as if clearly telling me that Conrad was a target.
A scream echoes through the castle, and I wake up startled. Conrad is already standing and walking quickly through the castle, and I follow him. We reach the guest room corridor and see a caretaker. She stared in terror at the floor in front of her.
A fallen man.
Kael.
We run towards him, and I feel my heart ache. I crouch down to his level and lift his head. There was a black scar on his face, running from one side to the other.
"Kael, are you alright?" I ask.
I could feel the dark magic inside him, coursing through each of his veins.
"Who are you?"
Kael asks with a confused expression.