Chapter 4 - The Shadow in the Wings
Just as Kaelen’s glowing fingers brushed the velvet collar of King Vane’s robe, a deafening screech tore through the stormy night sky.
SKREEEEE!
A massive shadow detached itself from the highest gothic spire of the citadel. It plummeted downward with terrifying speed, wings spanning forty feet of leather and bone. It was a Wyvern of the High Peaks—a beast subjugated by dark sorcery and bred exclusively as the king’s ultimate weapon of mass slaughter.
With a massive gust of wind that blew the remaining torches out across the plaza, the beast slammed its armored tail between Kaelen and the throne, creating a wide crater in the marble dais.
King Vane scrambled away, laughing hysterically as blood trickled from a scratch on his chin. "Yes! Tear him apart, beast! Feast on the traitor!"
The wyvern whipped its horned head around, jaws unhinging to reveal rows of jagged, obsidian teeth dripping with acidic green venom. It lunged forward, snapping at Kaelen with blinding velocity.
Kaelen’s eyes flashed with fierce brilliance. Instead of retreating, he sidestepped the massive bite with supernatural grace, his hand reaching out to grab the creature by its thick, scaled snout.
The moment his bare hand touched the beast’s scales, the wyvern froze.
The dark, corrupted magic binding the creature’s mind—a foul spell woven by Arch-Mage Corvus to enslave it—clashed violently with the pure, ancient light of the Solari bloodline. The wyvern shrieked in agony, its yellow eyes rolling back as black smoke poured from its nostrils. The foul magic burned away like oil in a fire.
Stripped of its unnatural rage, the massive creature blinked, its eyes clearing to a gentle, intelligent amber. It lowered its massive head, whimpering softly before pressing its snout gently against Kaelen’s shoulder in submission.
Vane’s jaw hit the floor. "No! Kill him! By my command, rip him to pieces!"
The wyvern ignored the king entirely. It turned its massive body, positioning its broad back toward Kaelen as if offering him a saddle.
Kaelen exhaled slowly, the blinding white light around his body dimming into a steady, controlled aura of golden warmth. He glanced back down at the plaza, where Lyra and Joran were looking up at him with wide, hopeful eyes. He nodded slightly to them, a silent promise that he would return for them.
Then, with a single, fluid leap, Kaelen mounted the massive beast.
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"Your reign of terror ends tonight, Vane," Kaelen’s voice echoed across the kingdom, carrying over the fading storm. "I am going to tear down your empire from its rotten roots, and every secret you've buried will come to light."
With a deafening roar that shook the clouds away entirely, the wyvern beat its massive wings, launching itself vertically into the night sky, leaving the king standing alone, shivering and utterly defenseless in the ruins of his own tribunal.
