Chapter 118: Valley of Eredh

My whole body froze.

The voice seemed stronger now.

More aware.

As if the distance between us was shrinking.

Conrad grabbed my arm immediately.

“Maya?”

I took a deep breath, trying to push the whispers out of my head.

The shadows around the walls continued to move slowly, sliding across the stone like black water.

Kael noticed instantly.

“Her magic is reacting again.”

“It’s not just my magic,” I murmured.

I placed my hand on my stomach.

The baby was restless.

Not scared.

Anxious.

As if recognizing that call.

Conrad watched the shadows for a few seconds before discreetly placing himself between me and the dark corridor ahead.

Protective instinct.

Always.

“Let’s get this over with,” he said softly.

We continued walking.

But the closer we got to Solange's chambers, the heavier the atmosphere became.

It was strange.

As if the castle itself were holding its breath.

The guards before the royal door immediately straightened up upon seeing Conrad.

“Is my mother alone?” he asked.

“Yes, my king.”

Conrad nodded.

Then he opened the door without waiting for an announcement.

The room was partially lit by the fireplace.

Solange remained seated near the window, still dressed in elegant clothes despite the late hour.

But she didn't seem surprised to see us.

That immediately bothered me.

As if she had been expecting our arrival.

Her eyes first landed on Conrad.

Then on me.

And for a brief instant…

I saw fear cross her expression as she noticed the restless shadows discreetly gliding around my feet.

“Maya had a vision,” Conrad said bluntly. Solange stood motionless.

“About what?”

“The second key.”

A heavy silence fell over the room.

She slowly stood up.

Elegant.

Controlled.

But her fingers gripped the fabric of her dress tightly enough to betray the tension.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Kael let out a disbelieving breath behind us.

Conrad didn’t even blink.

“The vision showed the place where my father found the breach.”

Solange’s eyes darkened immediately.

Pain.

Anger.

Terror.

All at once.

“No.”

The answer came too quickly.

Conrad stepped forward.

“You’re going to tell us where it is.”

“I’m not sending you to that place.”

“You sent my father.”

The sentence pierced the room like a blade.

Solange paled.

Conrad rarely spoke to her like that.

Perhaps he never had.

“Your father made his own choices,” she retorted, but the firmness was no longer entirely present in her voice.

“And now we need to fix the consequences of them.”

The baby moved strongly inside me.

The shadows near the fireplace trembled immediately.

Solange noticed.

Her eyes fixed on my belly again.

“You don’t understand what exists in that territory,” she whispered.

“Then explain,” Kael replied.

Silence returned.

Long.

Heavy.

Then Solange closed her eyes for a brief moment.

When she spoke again…

Her voice came out different.

Lower.

Almost defeated.

“The place is called the Valley of Eredh.” A shiver ran through my body instantly.

As if the very name carried ancient magic.

Solange looked away towards the dark window.

“After that night… the forest died.”

Silence filled the room after those words.

Valley of Eredh.

The name seemed to echo inside my head like a warning.

Or perhaps a call.

Conrad continued staring at his mother without looking away.

“What’s there now?” he asked.

Solange took a few seconds to answer.

As if she needed to gather courage even to talk about that place.

“Nothing lives for long in Eredh.” Her voice was low. “The trees rot. The rivers darken. Animals disappear.” She swallowed hard. “And, at night… you can hear voices.”

A shiver ran down my arms.

The shadows around my feet moved slowly again.

Conrad noticed.

He immediately took my hand.

“Were you there after the rupture?” Kael asked.

Solange nodded slowly.

“A few times.”

“Why?” Conrad questioned immediately.

The pain shot across her face so quickly it almost went unnoticed.

“Because I still believed I could bring your father back.”

My chest tightened involuntarily.

She truly loved him.

Even after everything.

Even after his obsession nearly destroyed the kingdom.

“But every time I went back…” Solange continued softly, “the place seemed more alive.”

Kael frowned.

“Alive?”

“As if it were watching.” She squeezed her own arms. “The forest shifts. Paths disappear. Shadows follow you among the trees.”

My heart raced slowly.

Because it didn’t just seem like corrupted magic.

It seemed like consciousness. Conrad exhaled heavily.

“So the second key is in that territory.”

“Yes,” I replied before Solange could deny it again.

All eyes turned to me.

The feeling in my chest had been growing stronger ever since I heard the name of the valley.

It was almost magnetic now.

An impossible connection to ignore.

“The dream wanted to take me there,” I murmured. “I can feel it.”

The baby moved strongly in response.

Solange noticed immediately.

And fear returned to her eyes.

“Don’t take that child to Eredh.”

Conrad stiffened instantly.

“Enough.”

“You don’t understand!” She finally lost some control. “The rupture altered that place. The magic of the rift seeps throughout the forest now.”

“Then that’s exactly where we need to go,” Kael concluded.

Solange turned quickly to him.

“You will die.”

“The entire kingdom could die if we do nothing,” Conrad retorted.

The room fell silent again.

The fireplace crackled softly behind us as the wind made the windows tremble.

Then Solange turned her eyes to me.

This time without hatred.

Without contempt.

Only fear.

“When I first saw that woman…” she began slowly, “she also believed she could control everything.”

My stomach clenched.

“And did she?” I asked almost voicelessly.

Solange hesitated.

For too long.

“For a while.”

The answer made the air in the room feel even colder.

Conrad gripped my hand tighter immediately.

But I barely noticed.

Because something inside me reacted to those words.

As if an old memory had awakened.

Control.

Balance. Sacrifice.

I placed my hand on my belly instantly.

The baby remained completely still.

And that scared me more than the violent movements.

Because it seemed…

attention.

Then the voice returned.

Closer than ever.

So close I almost felt someone breathing behind me.

“Come back to me…”

I gasped.

Conrad immediately held my face.

“Maya?”

I slowly raised my eyes to him.

Fear growing inside my chest.

Because this time…

The voice didn't seem to come from the shadows.

It seemed to come from the heiress herself.