Chapter 15 - Shadows in the Mountains
Deep in the caverns of the Gray Mountains, far beyond the reach of Oakhaven’s lanterns, a dark figure paced furiously across a floor carved from black obsidian.
High Inquisitor Malakor slammed a heavy iron fist against the stone wall, sending sparks flying into the darkness. Before him stood three hooded figures—agents of the old Council who had fled the capital after their political defeat.
"How is this possible?" Malakor snarled, his voice echoing off the damp cave walls. "The boy broke the royal seal, the princess is walking, and the border towns are turning their allegiance to the crown!"
"The wild magic is bonding with them, Inquisitor," one of the hooded figures replied cautiously. "If they complete the ritual at the ancient altar of the First King during the upcoming solstice, the pact will become permanent. The Council will lose all legal claim to the eastern territories forever."
Malakor’s eyes narrowed into dangerous slits of pure malice. A cruel, calculated smile spread across his thin lips. "Then we don't let them reach the solstice. If the wild magic cannot be controlled by the Council, it must be severed at the root—permanently."
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"What are your orders?"
"Gather the remaining temple guards," Malakor commanded, stepping into the dim torchlight. "We strike while they are still traveling through the mountain pass. We will take the boy, lock the princess back into her eternal silence, and remind the king who truly rules this realm."
