Chapter 32 Emerald Pendant
Everyone stood up from their seats when Sebastian walked into the council room the next morning. “Your Majesty...“ Anderson muttered when he saw Sebastian, he was looking so rugged and pale. It was obvious he hadn't slept a wink for days.
Sebastian’s eyes were red and angry, he looked murderous. And that was how he felt within himself. He knew he needed to be calm and level headed because that was the only way he could come up with a lead that will get him his wife back.
“If only you had stopped giving her more reasons to leave you,” The Maidservant’s statement had stayed stuck in his head throughout the night up till morning. She had rendered him speechless, unable to say a thing.
She was right. It was only a matter of time before he messed up everything with Fernanda once again. He knew he was broken and twisted and unhealthy for her but he just can't stand the thought of letting her go.
He caused everything. If only he tried harder to earn her love and trust. If only he had contained the dark twisted part of him well and not let it bleed out around her.
The war strategy room was thick with tension, the kind that pressed against the chest and refused to ease. A single map of the kingdoms lay stretched across the stone table, weighed down by carved markers and blades. Torches burned low along the walls, casting flickering shadows that danced like restless spirits.
Sebastian sat at the head of the table, His hands rested flat against the stone surface, fingers still, yet ready. The fury that had torn through the palace earlier had retreated inward, hardening into something colder and far more dangerous.
To his left sat Levi, calm and observant as always. Anderson leaned forward across the table, his hands clasped tightly together. Gayle stood with his arms crossed, eyes narrowed in deep thought, while Thomas paced slowly behind them, boots echoing softly against the floor.
No one spoke at first. Sensing the tension, Levi broke the silence.
He reached into his coat and withdrew a small cloth, unfolding it carefully before placing its contents on the table. The emerald pendant gleamed faintly beneath the torchlight, its green surface unnaturally polished, almost alive.
Sebastian’s eyes dropped to it instantly.
“What is that?” he asked, his voice deep, controlled, and devoid of emotion.
Levi did not hesitate. “An emerald pendant, Your Majesty. I took it from a shadow wielder, right before they vanished.”
Sebastian’s jaw tightened, but his voice remained steady. “Can this be used to trace where they dwell.”
Levi hesitated. “Possibly. I have searched the Archive extensively. Old cult records. Shadow covenants. Relics tied to dimensional passage. Nothing definitive yet.”
Thomas frowned. “So we have a clue with no direction.”
“No,” Sebastian said sharply.
Every head turned toward him.
“This is not directionless,” he continued. “It is simply incomplete.”
He straightened slightly, his fingers resting against the table. “From what I've discovered, these shadow wielders do not operate independently. They require structure, hierarchy, and supply. If these pendants are uniform, then they were forged or enchanted in the same place.”
Gayle nodded slowly. “A source.”
“Yes,” Sebastian said. “Magic of that scale cannot be replicated carelessly. Whoever created these did so with intention and repetition.”
Levi listened intently.
“Instead of trying to make the pendant lead us,” Sebastian continued, “We should track where similar enchantments surface. Black market relic dealers. Disappearing enchanters. Sudden depletion of rare emerald veins.”
Anderson’s eyes lit with understanding. “Supply lines.”
“Exactly,” Sebastian said. “Every army leaves footprints. Even one that hides in shadow.”
Levi’s lips curved faintly. “I can deploy scouts to follow mineral trade routes and magical artifact circulation.”
“And I want every smuggler, relic broker, and rogue mage questioned,” Sebastian added. “Quietly.” Thomas nodded.
Sebastian’s gaze returned to the pendant. “They took my wife. They will make a mistake.”
Levi carefully wrapped the emerald again. “I will begin immediately.”
Sebastian gave a single nod. “You have my authority.”
The cell was damp, narrow, and unforgiving.
Maya slammed her palms against the iron bars again, the clang echoing through the underground corridor.
“Let me out!” she screamed. “Let me out!”
Her voice cracked with desperation. The shadows pressed thick against the walls, clinging to her skin like cold breath. Her wrists trembled as she struck the bars again and again.
Footsteps approached. She spun toward the sound, heart racing.
Nina emerged from the darkness, her expression twisted into a scowl. Sloane followed closely behind, his eyes burning with restrained fury.
“Enough,” Nina snapped. “Keep quiet.”
“Why am I here?” Maya demanded. “Why am I locked up like this?”
Sloane stepped forward, gripping the bars. “Because you betrayed us.”
Maya shook her head violently. “I did not. I never exposed the Order. I never spoke your names.”
“That does not absolve you,” Sloane said coldly.
Nina folded her arms, eyes sharp. “You hesitated. You interfered. You failed to ensure a clean extraction.”
“I was surrounded,” Maya pleaded. “Sebastian watched me. Levi watched me. One wrong move and I would have been executed.”
“You still failed,” Sloane said. “And because of that, Lucius is dead.”
Maya’s breath hitched. “Lucius followed orders. We all did.”
“And you did not,” Nina snapped. “You wavered.”
Maya’s voice dropped to a desperate whisper. “I tried to protect myself. I tried to survive.”
Sloane’s expression hardened. “Survival does not excuse betrayal, Eira.” The name burned. It instantly reminded her of who she truly was. She wasn't just a Maidservant, she had a purpose, a mission.
Maya fell to her knees, gripping the bars. “Please. I beg you. I have served the Order for years. I have risked everything. I did not expose you. I did not destroy the mission.”
Nina’s gaze was cold. “Intent does not outweigh consequence.”
“Please,” Maya sobbed. “Forgive me. Let me prove myself.”
For a moment, silence.
Then Nina leaned closer, her voice low and merciless. “You should pray.”
Maya’s breath caught. “Pray for what.”
“For mercy,” Nina said. “Because Damon is not in a forgiving mood.”
Fear hollowed Maya’s chest.
Sloane stepped back. “You will remain here until he decides your fate.”
They turned to leave.
“Wait,” Maya screamed. “Where is her highness?”
Neither of them answered.
“Where is Fernanda?” Maya cried. “Where’s her highness?” The footsteps faded.
“Let me out!” Maya screamed again, slamming her fists against the bars until her hands burned. “Let me out!”
Her cries echoed uselessly through the darkness. Alone, shaking, and terrified, Maya collapsed against the cold stone floor.
She reached for her pendant to at least get some semblance of comfort from it and gasped when she saw it was gone. ”My Pendant! Good Lords, where is it!” She thought aloud, frantically moving both hands around her neck as if that was going to help.
Then she recalled Levi having his arm wrapped around her most of the time before they got separated. That darned Lycan!