Chapter 3 - Shadows of the Citadel
Before the Royal Guards could slide down the ropes or storm the sand pit, a dense smoke grenade smashed onto the arena floor, releasing a thick, choking cloud of grey fog.
Figures clad in dark leather descended from the high arches of the outer walls via iron winches. Three masked vigilantes grabbed Leo under his arms just as iron-clad soldiers flooded the pit with drawn halberds.
"Up! Quickly!" a sharp, female voice hissed in Leo's ear.
Leo was hauled upward into the rafters of the coliseum, dodging crossbow bolts that whistled past his head. They scrambled across the ancient stone aqueducts that fed water to the city, disappearing into the maze-like rooftops of the lower district before the army could surround the arena.
When they finally dropped into the damp, torch-lit cellars beneath an abandoned grain warehouse, Leo collapsed against a stack of wooden crates, clutching his bruised ribs.
The woman pulled off her leather hood, revealing dark, fierce eyes and a silver mark across her jawline. "You're insane, boy," she spat, though her tone held undeniable respect. "Revealing yourself in front of the entire court without an army behind you? Aldric will tear this city apart block by block to find you."
"He needed to see my face," Leo wheezed, sitting up slowly. "He needed to know his nightmare didn't end fifteen years ago in the ashes of Oakhaven."
The woman stepped closer, her eyes fixing onto the sword-shaped scar on his bare shoulder. She reached out a trembling hand, tracing the faint edges of the skin. Tears welling in her eyes, she dropped to one knee.
"Forgive me, Prince Caelen," she whispered. "I am Lyra... commander of your mother’s former guard. We thought you were dead."
"I was dead," Leo said, his voice hardening. "The boy died when Aldric set fire to the royal nursery and slaughtered my mother, Queen Eleanor. The man who survived was raised in the gutters by thieves and sellswords, waiting for the day he was strong enough to make Aldric answer for his treachery."
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"You won't have to fight alone anymore," Lyra said, standing up and pulling a heavy map from her belt, spreading it across an oak table. "The king's reign has grown brutal. Taxes have starved the outer towns, and his mercenaries rule by fear. Half the high houses despise him, but they believed the royal bloodline was extinct. Now that they saw the mark... the rebellion has a banner."
"Then let's give them a war," Leo said, slamming his hand onto the center of the map.
