Chapter 4 - The Path of Stars
Down in the catacombs, the air grew increasingly cold as the night wore on. Vane unrolled a weathered parchment map across the lid of a stone sarcophagus, tracing a finger along a faint ink line that wound away from the castle and toward the Mistwood Mountains.
"We cannot stay here," Vane said, looking up at Elise and the archbishop. "The hounds will pick up our scent within the hour. Marcelline’s guard knows these tunnels better than we do."
"Where do we go?" Elise asked, feeling the three silver stars on her arm pulse with a rhythmic warmth, as if urging her forward. "I don't know anything about ruling a kingdom. I don't even know how to hold a sword, let alone fight an army."
"You don't need to fight an army," the archbishop said gently, placing a withered hand over hers. "You only need to claim what was never truly lost. The people of Valoria are tired of the queen's iron fist. They remember Selene’s peace. When they see the mark, and when they see Aethelgard resting in your hands, the loyalties will shift like sand."
Suddenly, a sharp, metallic ring echoed from the tunnel entrance far above.
"They're here," Vane whispered, drawing his broadsword with a smooth, practiced motion. He shoved the map into his tunic and motioned toward a narrow, dark crevice hidden behind a crumbling pillar. "Go. Follow the drainage pipe straight down to the riverbank. A boat will be waiting."
"And you?" Elise asked, her eyes widening.
May you like
"Someone has to keep them busy," Vane said with a grim, reassuring smile. "Go, Your Majesty."
Before Elise could argue, the archbishop gently pulled her into the dark crevice. Together, they scrambled through the damp, narrow stone tunnel as the distant sounds of clashing steel and snarling war-beasts reverberated behind them.
