Chapter 85 Prison
The bell still echoed when I left the room.
Each chime seemed to pierce my bones, marking a time that no longer belonged to me. Conrad walked beside me, too alert, as if expecting an attack around every corner. The castle corridors were filled with stifled whispers, hurried footsteps, and glances that averted as I passed.
They knew.
Perhaps they didn't know exactly what, but they felt it. The fear had changed form. It wasn't just about the erasers or about me anymore. It was about something that was to come.
"You shouldn't go," Conrad said softly. "After what happened..."
"That's precisely why I need to go," I replied. "If the spirit world sent us a warning, it wasn't by chance."
We descended the main staircase, and the weight of the castle seemed greater. Ancient. Alive. As if the walls themselves were listening.
When the doors to the council chamber opened, the noise ceased immediately.
Solange was there.
Seated in her usual position, impeccable posture, controlled expression. Steven leaned against one of the pillars. Some alphas I already recognized... and others who had never bothered to hide their distrust of me.
I felt my body react. Not with weakness—with alertness.
"Let's begin," Solange said, before Conrad could even speak. "The bell didn't ring for politics. It rang for survival."
I swallowed hard.
Something in that tone... wasn't a surprise. It was preparation.
My symbol warmed again, and I placed my hand on my belly almost imperceptibly. The baby moved, as if it felt it too.
Whatever was about to be revealed there, I had a feeling it wasn't just about the kingdom.
It was about us.
And, for the first time since I arrived in that place, I was sure of one thing:
the castle had already chosen a side.
I just didn't know yet if that side was mine.
The silence that followed was heavy, almost suffocating. Everyone waited for someone to say something, but no one seemed willing to be the first to touch on what really mattered.
It was Conrad.
"If the bell tolled for survival, then tell us what is threatening the kingdom," he said, his voice firm, but laden with something deeper. Contained fear.
Solange crossed her hands on the stone table. Her eyes lingered on me for a second longer than necessary before turning to the council.
"We received a warning from the spirit world before dawn," she began. "It didn't come through ordinary dreams. It was a rupture. An echo."
My stomach clenched.
"An echo of what?" I asked, feeling the mark on my chest throb in response.
"Of a birth," replied one of the older alphas, his voice hoarse. "A birth that alters the balance."
A few murmurs spread through the room. Quick glances. Assessing glances.
I felt Conrad move beside me, subtly closer.
"If you're hinting at something about Maya, be clear," he said. "There's been too much silence in this castle already."
Solange sighed, as if carrying a burden only she understands.
"The warning didn't mention names," she said. "But it left one certainty: dark magic is reacting to something that hasn't yet come into the world. And when it does, the erasers won't be the only ones to move."
My heart began to beat faster.
I placed my hand on my stomach, now not caring if they noticed. It wasn't instinct. It was protection.
"They sense it," I said, more to myself than to the others. "Ever since I consumed those shadows... something has changed."
Steven let out a short, humorless laugh. "Or you're projecting blame where it doesn't exist," he said. "You've already caused enough problems without needing to invent new ones."
Conrad took a step forward, his eyes darkening. "Careful." Before the argument could erupt, the air in the room changed.
The torches flickered. The floor vibrated slightly. An ancient chill ran down my spine.
Then I heard it.
Not with my ears—with my soul.
A fragmented, multifaceted voice echoing within me.
"Protect what you carry. The womb is the key. The blood will summon the shadow... and the light."
I placed my hand on my chest, breathless.
Everyone was staring at me now.
"The warning isn't over," I whispered. "It came for me."
And, in that instant, I understood something that chilled me to the bone:
The spirit world wasn't just warning.
It was preparing for war.
The impact of my words still lingered in the air as Solange slowly stood up. The sound of the chair scraping on the stone floor was too loud, too definitive. All eyes turned to her.
"Enough," she said, her voice firm, trained not to tremble. "Whatever is growing inside you, Maya, has already put this kingdom at risk more times than I can count."
"You can't be serious," Conrad replied, incredulous. "She just received a warning from the spirit world. That's a confirmation, not a threat."
Solange stared at him coldly. "That's exactly why she's a threat."
My chest tightened.
"Until we know whether this child is a blessing or a catalyst for destruction," Solange continued, "Maya will be kept in custody."
The hall erupted in murmurs.
"Custody?" I repeated, feeling breathless. "You mean prison."
"An ancient cell," she confirmed. "Built to block any kind of magic. No shadow. No link. No interference."
Conrad stepped forward immediately.
"You won't touch her," he growled. "She's my queen."
"And I am the ruler of this kingdom as long as you allow your heart to rule over reason," Solange retorted. "Guards."
It all happened very quickly.
I felt Conrad recoil from me in a brutal impulse. Energy exploded around him, violent, untamable. Bones rearranging, muscles expanding, the air torn by the sound of what he was becoming.
A huge wolf, with fur as dark as night, appeared in the center of the hall.
The guards recoiled in panic.
"Conrad, no!" I screamed, but he no longer heard me.
He advanced, fierce, protecting me with pure instinct. One guard was thrown against the wall. Another fell before even understanding what was happening.
"Stop!" Solange shouted, but no one had control over it.
Then Kael stepped forward.
His face was pale, his eyes confused, but there was focus. An ancient focus, not dependent on memory.
"Forgive me, my king," he murmured.
He raised his hands and chanted words I didn't recognize. It wasn't aggressive magic. It was profound. Ancient. A call to rest.
The wolf hesitated.
It howled one last time, full of fury and pain, before its legs gave way. The enormous body recoiled, returning to human form, Conrad falling unconscious to the floor.
My scream caught in my throat.
"Take Maya," Solange ordered, her voice harsh, but her eyes gleaming with something I couldn't decipher. "Before it's too late for all of us."
As hands pulled me away, the last thing I saw was Conrad motionless on the floor.
And I was certain:
The prison wasn't meant to contain me.
It was meant to break me.