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The Scullery Maid and the Crown of Aurel: Rise of the True Queen / Chapter 17 / 20

Chapter 17 - Fire and Faith

"You hide in the shadows like cowards!" Clara’s voice echoed powerfully off the canyon walls, carrying an imperial authority that stunned even the assassins on the ridge. "Show yourselves! Or are you merely the lapdogs of a broken, desperate traitor?"

From behind a high ledge, stepping out onto a narrow stone outcrop, Lord Garrick appeared, flanked by several masked men. He was disheveled, but his face beamed with maniacal triumph.

"Did you really think I would rot in a salt mine, niece?" Garrick laughed, his voice echoing shrilly across the pass. "The kingdom belongs to those who know how to take it, not a scullery maid who lucked into an ancient piece of magic!"

"You didn't take the throne when you had the chance, and you won't take it now," Clara replied coldly.

Garrick’s smile faded into a snarl. "Archers! Loose!"

Dozens of heavy bolts rained down from the cliffs like a deadly iron storm.

With a gasp, Clara raised her hands. In that split second of mortal peril, the ancient magic within her blood surged forward with a deafening roar. The Crown of Aurel—which she had securely packed in a reinforced leather chest beside her saddle—burst open of its own accord.

A blinding pillar of white-gold fire erupted from the chest, shooting straight up into the sky and creating a blazing dome of energy over Clara and her guards.

The incoming crossbow bolts struck the golden barrier and instantly dissolved into fine ash before they could touch a single person.

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The assassins shrieked in terror, dropping their weapons as the blinding light washed over the cliffs.

Garrick stumbled backward, shielding his eyes, screaming in rage and panic. "Kill her! Break the spell!"

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Chapter 18 - The Final Judgement
Chapter 19 - The Crown’s True Heir
Chapter 20 - A Kingdom Reborn

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