Chapter 83 Against Magic
Narrated by Conrad
I walked through the corridors with firm steps, even though my mind was at war. Guards appeared from all sides, too tense for a simple meeting. The castle seemed smaller, suffocating, as if the walls were listening.
When I entered the council room, I knew immediately: this was not just a discussion.
The alphas were already gathered. Steven. Two leaders of the northern packs. Elders of the Bond. And, seated at the front, with impeccable posture and a calculated gaze, my mother.
Solange.
"This is an emergency meeting," she said before I even sat down. "And it concerns the safety of the kingdom."
My jaw clenched.
"If it's about Maya, save your breath," I replied, my voice low and dangerous. "She's been judged more times than any queen before her."
"It's not a trial," Steven interrupted. "Yet."
The word hung in the air like a threat.
I took a deep breath, feeling the weight of the crown I myself had placed on it. Something had changed. I could feel it. The energy in the room was off, fragmented, full of fear—and fear was always the first step toward betrayal.
"What happened?" I finally asked.
Solange crossed her hands on the table.
"Something that can no longer be ignored," she replied. "And this time, Conrad... not even you will be able to stop what comes next."
And in that instant, I was certain of one thing:
this meeting wasn't about the kingdom.
It was about what I was willing to lose to protect it.
The silence that followed was too heavy to ignore.
"Speak now," I demanded, placing my hands on the stone table. "What are you trying to hide behind this charade?"
One of the elders cleared his throat before answering. "Reports came in from various regions. Not just attacks by the erasers... but energy distortions. Places where magic reacts erratically after Maya's presence."
My blood boiled.
"She saved people," I retorted. "She prevented a massacre."
"Consuming the same energy that created the erasers," Steven countered. "You know what that means, Conrad. No power comes without cost."
I looked at him with disdain. Steven was always waiting for an opening. A flaw. A reason to point the finger.
"So now we punish those who fight?" I asked. "Or do we only punish when that person wasn't born pure enough for you?"
Solange stood up slowly. The gesture was too calm for someone who claimed to care about the kingdom.
"The people are afraid," she said. "They saw shadows being destroyed by something they don't understand. They saw Maya absorb what should be untouchable. And now... they're starting to question whether the queen is protection or a threat."
"You fueled this fear," I accused, staring at her. "From the beginning."
She held my gaze, without denying it.
"The fear already existed," she replied. "I just didn't close my eyes."
My chest tightened. I thought of Maya alone in the room, trying to be strong while carrying more than anyone there could imagine. I thought of our child. Of the possibility that all of this was already touching something I couldn't even properly protect yet.
"If anyone touches her," I declared, my voice cold, "no council, no vote, no tradition will stop me from acting."
Some alphas looked away. Others hardened.
Solange just took a deep breath.
"Then you'd better prepare yourself, my son," she said. "Because the next step... won't be ours."
And for the first time since I became king, I felt the kingdom might be slipping from my grasp—not from weakness, but from an excess of truths no one was ready to face.
The weight of that phrase still echoed in my mind as the meeting was hastily adjourned. The advisors left one by one, some too quickly, others too slowly, as if to make it clear they weren't on my side—nor against me. They were against fear. And fear, I knew, was the hardest enemy to defeat.
I stood alone in the room for a few seconds. I took a deep breath, trying to organize my swirling thoughts. Strategy, protection, politics. All of that had always been part of my world. But now there was something new. Something that made me vulnerable in a way I'd never been before.
Our child.
I left the hall determined. The castle corridors seemed too long that night. The torches on the walls cast shadows that moved restlessly, as if even the stone were uncomfortable. Each of my steps was accompanied by a bitter certainty: no matter how much I tried to shield Maya, the kingdom would find a way to reach her.
I carefully pushed open the bedroom door. Maya was sitting on the edge of the bed, her hands on her belly, her gaze lost somewhere in the distance. When she saw me, she tried to smile, but I knew that smile. It was forced courage.
"They won't stop," she said before I could even speak. "Will they?"
I sat beside her and held her hands. They were cold.
"No," I answered honestly. "But they won't touch you either. None of you."
She took a deep breath, her eyes shining. "What if they're right, Conrad? What if this energy... what if what I'm doing is affecting the baby?"
The question pierced me like a blade. I thought about that too. From the first sign of her exhaustion. From the moment her power reacted differently.
"Then let's find out," I said firmly. "Let's study, let's search for answers where no one else dares. Elyrions, ancient archives, anything. You're not alone in this."
Maya rested her forehead against mine. For a moment, the world outside ceased to exist.
But the peace was short-lived.
A distant roar cut through the air. It wasn't an ordinary sound. It was deep, laden with magic. I felt the castle react, as if something had awakened beyond the walls.
I stood up immediately. Maya felt it too. I saw it in her eyes.
"They're moving," she whispered. "The erasers."
I went to the window. In the distance, the sky seemed darker than it should be. The energy was different. Unstable.
"This isn't a direct attack," I concluded. "It's a warning."
I turned to her, placing my hands on her face. "From now on, nothing we do will be just defense. They are testing us. The council. My mother. Steven. Everyone."
She nodded, determined despite her fear.
"Then let them test us," Maya said. "I will not back down."
And in that moment, looking at the woman I had chosen as my queen, as my companion, and as the mother of my child, I understood something with frightening clarity:
The war had already begun.
It just hadn't shown all its faces yet.