Chapter 2 - The Fall of House Vale
The massive oak doors of the cathedral courtyard splintered inward with the force of a battering ram, though no man had touched them. The roars from the valley had grown closer, shifting from distant thunder to the distinct, rhythmic pounding of massive claws against stone and earth. The high lords and corporate executives of the Vale dynasty scrambled backward in sheer terror, trampling one another in a mad dash for the exit arches.
Marcus Vale drew his ceremonial blade completely, its edge gleaming with enchanted steel meant to slay beasts, not gods. "You think a show of parlor tricks and summoned reptiles will save you?" Marcus snarled, his eyes darting toward the open gates where massive silhouettes were beginning to blot out the stormy night sky. "This territory belongs to the Vales! We built New York! We built the ports, the raillines, the banks!"
"You stole them," Adrian replied coldly. He didn't even draw a weapon. He merely raised a hand, and the heavy iron chains binding Olivia snapped like brittle twigs as a pulse of dark fire severed the metal links.
Olivia gasped as her hands were freed. She rubbed her raw wrists, staring in disbelief at the melted iron puddles on the ground. As soon as the physical restraints fell away, the golden energy surging within her stabilized, wrapping around her arms like a second skin made of living light. She wasn't cold anymore. In fact, for the first time in her life, she felt entirely complete, as though a missing piece of her soul had just clicked violently into place.
"Olivia," Marcus pleaded, changing tactics with sickening speed as he realized his guards were paralyzed by fear and his dynasty was crumbling in real-time. "Think of everything I gave you. The estate, the education, the status. I raised you as my own niece."
"You kept me in the servant wing," Olivia replied, her voice dropping an octave, carrying an eerie, melodic resonance that sounded frighteningly similar to the roars outside. "You made the chefs swear silence when my hands didn't burn. You treated me like a prisoner waiting for execution."
May you like
"She is a Veyrith!" Marcus screamed desperately to the fleeing crowd. "If she lives, none of your titles, none of your corporate shares, none of your wealth is safe! She will take everything back!"
Before Marcus could lunge forward with his blade, Adrian closed the distance between them with terrifying speed. A backhanded strike from the Shadow Prince sent Marcus flying across the courtyard. The king crashed into the massive stone fountain of the Vale crest, shattering the marble structure into a thousand pieces. His sword skittered across the wet pavement, coming to a rest near Olivia’s boots.
