Chapter 10 - Shadows in the Courtyard
The wedding banquet was a magnificent feast of roasted meats, spiced wines, and cascading tables of winter fruits that stretched across the Great Hall. Music filled the air, and laughter echoed late into the night.
Maren sat upon the elevated dais beside Theron, watching the nobles dance and celebrate. Tavian had finally worn himself out, falling fast asleep with his head pillowed heavily on Maren’s lap.
“Are you happy?” Theron asked softly, leaning close, his breath warm against her ear as he poured her a glass of sweet berry wine.
“I feel like I’m dreaming,” Maren confessed, looking out over the crowded hall before turning her gaze up to him. “If someone had told me a month ago in that frozen cabin that I would be sitting here...”
“Fate has a strange way of finding its balance,” Theron said, his eyes filled with a profound tenderness.
Suddenly, a sharp, metallic sound cut through the festive noise.
Clang.
Maren froze. Theron’s body went instantly rigid, his alpha instincts flaring to life as his hand dropped instinctively to the hilt of his concealed dagger.
From the shadows of the arched balcony high above the banquet hall, a figure detached itself from the pillars.
It was not an assassin, nor a rebel noble. It was a young guard wearing the crest of the inner palace watch. He staggered forward, clutching his shoulder, blood soaking through his uniform, before collapsing onto the stone steps leading up to the dais.
“Your Majesty...” the guard gasped, coughing up a spray of dark blood. “The dungeons... the holding cells...”
Theron was on his feet in a heartbeat, his massive frame shielding Maren and the sleeping prince. “Speak! What happened?”
“Lady Valora...” the guard choked out, his eyes wide with horror. “She... she didn't act alone. Someone broke the seals on the lowest level. The ancient containment wards... they’ve been shattered.”
A cold dread washed over Maren. She exchanged a terrified look with Theron.
“What was kept down there?” Maren whispered.
May you like
Theron’s face drained of color, his jaw clenching so hard a muscle twitched violently.
“Things the first kings of Baldross locked away because they were too dangerous to destroy,” Theron said grimly, drawing his broadsword as the festive music died away into absolute, terrified silence. “And whoever helped Valora escape is setting them free.”
