All Chapters of The King's Guard : Chapter 61
- Chapter 70
127 chapters
Chapter 61
The library’s back hall smelled of dust and ink, lanterns guttering faintly. Kael sat with an open tome before him, though his eyes hadn’t moved across the page in minutes.A voice cut the silence.“You read like someone waiting for a knife.”Kael turned. Kyna leaned against the stone pillar, arms crossed, a small smirk hiding sharp eyes.“You shouldn’t sneak up on people,” Kael said.“You shouldn’t look so easy to sneak up on.” She stepped closer, lowering her voice. “We need to talk.”Kael closed the book. “About Jared?”“Not this time.” Her tone shifted to serious. “About Archon.”Kael frowned. “What about him?”Kyna glanced around, then sat opposite him. “You think Jared’s the problem. He’s only half of it. Archon is the other half.”Kael studied her. “That’s a big claim.”“It’s not a claim.” She leaned in. “It’s a warning.”Kael arched a brow. “You’re starting with warnings now? That’s unlike you.”“I’ve learned to pick my moments,” she replied coolly. “And this one’s worth your
Last Updated : 2025-11-30
Chapter 62
The night was windless, the air sharp with smoke from distant chimneys. Kael’s squad moved through the eastern quarter of Veridale, cloaks drawn tight, boots muffled against dirt alleys.Jared muttered, “Lovely assignment. Crawl through the gutters after whispers.”Reyna’s voice was flat. “Keep quiet or I’ll make you.”Kyna smirked. “I’d pay to see that.”“Focus,” Kael said softly, scanning the alley. The walls loomed high on either side, the lamps above them smothered with soot. “Voices carry here.”Jared huffed. “Not that anyone’s awake to hear.”“Someone is,” Reyna replied. “And if they’re who we think, they’ll hear everything.”They passed a row of boarded doors, puddles glinting under weak starlight. The silence thickened, the city’s heartbeat distant.Kyna murmured, “You sure your informant wasn’t feeding us another ghost trail?”Kael didn’t answer at first. His eyes traced the faint scuff marks a
Last Updated : 2025-12-01
Chapter 63
The Academy council chamber was quiet except for the sound of rain on high windows. Torches burned low, shadows long across the stone floor.Darius stood at the centre. His cloak was still damp from travel, boots streaked with mud. Before him sat Archon, hands folded, face unreadable.“You’ve been gone three nights,” Archon said. “And you return with rumours.”“They’re more than rumours,” Darius replied. “My squad intercepted a courier. Stormhaven markings. Official. And a meeting with rebels, witnessed in full view.”Archon tilted his head. “Witnessed. But not recorded.”“Crates, sigils, steel. Stormhaven issue.”“Stolen, perhaps.”“No,” Darius said firmly. “The weapons were intact. Crates marked and sealed. This wasn’t theft. It was shipment.”Archon’s mouth twitched, almost a smile. “And you want me to act on this?”“I want you to recognise it for what it is. Stormhaven is feeding the rebellion.”
Last Updated : 2025-12-01Read more
Last Updated : 2025-12-01
Chapter 64
The training hall was empty, torches guttering low against the stone. Kael stood in the centre, jacket discarded, shirt clinging with sweat. His sword lay untouched on the bench; this wasn’t about steel. It hadn’t been about steel for a long time now. This was about something deeper, something that didn’t fit into human hands or human rules.He closed his eyes, letting the silence thicken until it pressed against his eardrums. He could hear his heartbeat like a fist knocking from inside his ribs.The Rift. The hum beneath the skin. The pressure waiting to split him open.He exhaled, slow, like he was trying to breathe around a blade. His fingers twitched, and the air wavered with a soft distortion, a shimmer like heat rising off metal.“You’re doing it again.”Kael’s eyes snapped open. Reyna leaned in the doorway, arms folded, hair tied back but still wild enough to catch the torchlight. Her expression was the same mixture she always wore
Last Updated : 2025-12-02
Chapter 65
Long tables stretched under banners of Veridale and Stormhaven in the banquet hall in the royal palace, their colours forced into harmony for the night. Servants glided between nobles with trays of wine, every glass catching flame from the chandeliers overhead.Kael felt the weight of the place the moment he entered. His squad moved in behind him, close but not too close, part of the decor as much as the guards stationed at the edges.Jared walked at the front, head high, shoulders set with pride. To anyone watching, he looked born for this hall. Kael saw the strain in his jaw.Reyna leaned closer, whispering, “He’s walking like the room belongs to him.”“It nearly does,” Kael murmured back.Jared didn’t turn, but his voice reached them. “You’re both loud enough for me to hear.”Kyna smirked. “Maybe you should stop listening then.”Jared shot her a look, then returned his attention to the dais where the royals were alrea
Last Updated : 2025-12-02
Chapter 66
Jared had already stormed off after drills, Reyna kept pacing, and Kyna sharpened her blades like the sound alone might keep the silence from swallowing them.Kael finally spoke. “There’s something I didn’t tell you both.”Reyna looked up immediately. “It’s about Jared, isn’t it?”Kyna didn’t stop sharpening. “I figured. He’s been walking like he swallowed poison.”Kael drew in a slow breath. “I overheard him with his father. Lord Eryndor. After the banquet.”That caught both their attention. Reyna stepped closer. “What did you hear?”Kael hesitated, then forced the words out. “Eryndor told Jared I was standing where he should. That he needs to undermine me. That if he doesn’t obey, he’ll stop being his son.”Kyna set her blade down with a soft thud. “So it’s not just pride. It’s blood.”Reyna’s eyes narrowed. “And Jared didn’t object?”Kael shook his head. “Not really. He tried to push back, but Eryndo
Last Updated : 2025-12-03
Chapter 67
The orders came at dawn, delivered by a courier with the same stiff neutrality Kael had grown to distrust.Reyna read the parchment aloud as the squad gathered outside the barracks.“Reconnaissance sweep,” she said. “South ridge. Reports of rebel movement.”Jared scoffed. “Rebels again. Convenient how they appear only when the Academy needs to look busy.”Kyna muttered, “That’s because this isn’t about rebels. It’s about us being kept out of the way.”Kael stayed silent. His gut agreed with her.Darius joined them, his expression unreadable. “The assignment stands. Intercept if you find anything. Return by nightfall.”Kael studied him, searching for a hint of more, but Darius offered none.When they were dismissed, Jared stretched his shoulders with false ease. “Another wasted day. Try not to trip over yourselves.”Reyna shot him a look. “Better to trip than to drag everyone down.”Jared smirked. “I
Last Updated : 2025-12-03
Chapter 68
A younger Archon: lean, sharp, and almost forgettable, stepped into the courtyard of the Shadow Corps Academy. He wore no insignia yet, only ambition stitched into his posture. Around him, recruits sparred in the mud, blades clanging under the watch of instructors.Velreth stood on the balcony above, arms folded. His eyes tracked the boy who didn’t flinch at the thunder.“Name?” he called down.“Cassian Varrow,” the boy replied, voice steady. “But they call me Archon.”Velreth’s brow lifted slightly. “A title before you’ve earned one?”“Something to grow into.”The corner of Velreth’s mouth curved. “Interesting… Confidence, or arrogance?”“Whichever builds faster,” Archon said.Velreth motioned him forward. “Then let’s see if it survives training.”Weeks passed.Archon bled, fought, rose again. He was never the strongest, never the fastest, but he studied. Every motion, every command, every fai
Last Updated : 2025-12-04
Chapter 69
Lanterns swayed above the archway in the courtyard, throwing thin gold shapes across the flagstones. The air carried that kind of stillness that only came after long training days.Kael sat alone on the stone ledge beneath one of the tall trees, cloak folded beside him. His wrists still ached from drills. Every sound of the night felt louder than usual: the hiss of wind through the branches, the hum of distant torches, the muffled rhythm of boots crossing gravel somewhere far off.“Couldn’t sleep either?”Reyna’s voice came from behind him. He didn’t turn immediately; her tone made it sound more like a statement than a question.Kael sighed quietly. “You have that effect on people. Always showing up when I’ve just convinced myself I’m fine.”She stepped into the light. “You’re not fine.”“Neither are you.”Reyna gave a soft snort. “Touché.” She sat beside him, not too close, resting her arms on her knees. For a moment, n
Last Updated : 2025-12-04
Chapter 70
The carriage rolled to a stop under the shadow of House Varion’s northern balcony. The lamps along the drive burned blue, throwing the cobbles into hard relief. Jared stepped out first, gloved hands tight, posture perfect, as if posture could hide hesitation.The servant at the door bowed low. “My lord waits in the study.”Jared gave a curt nod and followed the hall, each step echoing against the marble floor. The portraits on the walls stared down at him: ancestors, generals, names weighed with expectation. His father’s words, drilled into him since childhood, whispered somewhere in memory. “A Varion bends to nothing but the throne.”He found Lord Eryndor seated behind the long oak desk, silver hair catching the lamplight, his expression carved in patience that wasn’t patience at all.“You’re late,” Eryndor said without looking up.Jared removed his gloves. “My duties at the Academy kept me longer than expected.”Eryndor gesture
Last Updated : 2025-12-05