2025-04-27 20:46:16
Previous Chapter
Latest Chapter
Bloodhounds of the Crown
The moon hung high, shrouded behind drifting cloud banks, its pale light casting spectral shadows across the frost-hardened grass. A cold wind stirred the boughs of ancient pines, rustling like whispered warnings in a language too old to translate. From the south, ten riders emerged from the trails beyond Aerondale’s last watchpost—phantoms cloaked in charcoal gray and black, their armor matte and unmarked.The Shadow Unit.Aerondale’s most secret and lethal hand.At their head rode Evan Drake, his black horse cutting through the frost with mechanical precision. Steam coiled from the beast’s nostrils; its rider's eyes burned with a darker fire.The shame of failure still coiled inside Evan’s gut like a festering wound. But it was no longer the dominant force. Rage—sharp and quiet—had taken its place. His orders from King Theron had been clear: find Calen Storm. End him. No more mercy. No more delay. There would be no third chance.A flick of his hand signaled a halt. The riders reined
Messengers, Shadows, and Sparks
The shattered throne room of old Rivermoore had become a hive of hurried preparation. At its center, Seraphina knelt before an ancient scrying basin carved from riverstone veined with quartz. She dipped a palm into the cold water, murmuring syllables that predated recorded Vynorian scripture. With each word, glowing lines lit the basin’s rim until the runes flared like tiny suns.“Breath to wind, ink to will;oaths unbroken, answer still.By river’s claim and crown’s decree,let fallen banners fly to me.”Six watery scrolls rose from the basin—hollow cylinders of light—then streaked upward through cracks in the vaulted ceiling, trailing silver mist. One arrowed north toward the forest garrisons; another veered west, where riverfolk still guarded broken dams. In moments, they were gone.Calen stood nearby, arms folded, stormlight faintly pulsing beneath his skin.“That will reach them?”“If they’re alive—and still loyal,” Seraphina said, steadying herself on the basin’s rim. “The magic
Between Two Storms
The silver mirror cracked into a lattice of ripples, the Elders’ spectral faces warping before dissolving altogether. A breath later the glow died, leaving only black water and the distant thrum of the resurrected river. The basin exhaled a faint hiss—si—as though the world itself had severed the link and released its breath.Calen wiped stray drops from his sleeve and turned, jaw set. “How long,” he asked Seraphina, “to muster every officer still loyal to Vynoria? We can’t repel Aerondale’s vanguard with five warm bodies and hope.”A wry cough echoed from behind a half‑collapsed column. Liora emerged, brushing soot from her leather jerkin. “Four, technically,” she quipped, lips quirking. “Someone has to guard your magnificent horses while the heroes do hero things. And, by astonishing coincidence, I’m head of the Magnificent Horse‑Watching Guild.”Carmen snorted despite herself. “Promotion suits you, Commander of Saddle and Mane.”Moonlight danced across Seraphina’s violet sleeves as
Waters of Awakening
Seraphina’s boots skimmed inches above the shattered tiles, violet robes snapping and twisting in the dry wind of her levitation spell. Queen Elara floated beside her, limp and death‑pale, crimson trailing from the torn hem of her nightgown and pattering onto the cracked flagstones below. Ahead, the old Vynorian palace rose like a bleached skeleton—marble ribs and ivy sinews—cradling the last, hidden reach of the Sacred River.“Hold on, my queen,” Seraphina whispered, refusing to glance back at the thunder of approaching hooves. “Calen is safe—he’s coming. All that matters now is you, and the child.”Elara’s eyelids fluttered. Each breath rattled, so faint it scarcely stirred the air. Within her womb, the unborn storm‑fire kicked once, then fell desperately still.Seraphina pressed forward, weaving through toppled columns and archways littered with centuries of dust. Near the palace’s heart she reached a dry channel—once a gleaming aqueduct, now a cracked ribbon of stone scarred by dr
Fire at the Gate
Moonlight was fading fast when Calen and Carmen burst from the service courtyard onto the main causeway of Ardenfell. The southern postern gate—once a quiet, overlooked supply exit—stood only forty strides ahead. Beyond it, dawn's first glow spilled across the horizon, streaking the sky in shades of bruised pink and violet.Almost free."Go!" Calen shouted, gripping Carmen’s wrist as they sprinted across uneven cobblestones slick with dew and ash.A wave of shouts erupted behind them—soldiers, dozens of them, pouring through the archway they'd just escaped. Their armor gleamed under flickering torchlight, elemental sigils etched in bright silver across breastplates. At their helm strode Evan Drake, his crimson cloak snapping in the wind, fire swirling eagerly around his blade like a predator on a leash."Storm!" Evan's voice cracked like shattering timber. "You think you can crawl out of my city alive?"With a sweep of his blade, he sent a wave of fire racing down the stone road, devo
Embers and Storm
Moonlight glinted off the marble tiles of the courtyard as Calen Storm squared his shoulders. Across the open space, Evan Drake paced like a predator, firelight flickering along the edge of his sword. Around them, close to thirty Aerondale soldiers fanned out, steel at the ready—helms stamped with elemental sigils: flame, earth, wind, and water. But their eyes kept sliding back to Calen’s skin, where pale arcs of electricity crawled beneath the flesh, bright as lightning beneath glass.Behind Calen, Carmen pressed herself against a pillar, heart hammering. “You know,” she whispered, “I’m starting to think following you was a questionable life choice. Should’ve stayed with Liora and the horses.”“No arguments here,” Calen muttered, eyes locked on Evan. Stormlight pulsed at his fingertips.Evan’s lips curled into a sneer. “Well, look who finally crawled out of hiding. You’ve been a stain on Aerondale long enough, Storm. Tonight, I wipe it clean.”Calen’s eyes narrowed. “Still pretending
You may also like
Mon'Ter
ReinStriver26.3K viewsMonster Girl Ranching in Another World
Magic_31.1K viewsI AM DESTINY'S MISTAKE
Dere_Isaac15.6K viewsAn Important Villain
P. Artim25.4K viewsWHEN A BOOK BECOMES THE STRONGEST WEAPON
J.Stephano203 viewsDragon Covenant
Camellia2.5K viewsBeast Driven
Darkvirus_184.2K viewsThe Bounty
Famous Dave1.1K views