Library

Search

Home / Fantasy / Chains Of The Heart / Chapter 151 - Chapter 160

All Chapters of Chains Of The Heart: Chapter 151 - Chapter 160

166 Chapters

Chapter 151

The room was cold. The fire had burned low. Alessio rose from his chair, his hand reaching out, his face softening with something that looked like grief and understanding and the instinct to comfort.Lucian raised his hand.Alessio stopped."Don't." Lucian's voice was flat. "I don't need—" He stopped. Swallowed. "Ezekiel had a message. Before he—" He couldn't finish.Rowan's hand tightened on Damian's. "What message?"Lucian moved to the window. His back was straight. His hands were clasped behind him. His face was turned toward the dark."He said Edric Holt might be able to help. The old Holt. He said—" Lucian's voice faltered. "He said to tell him that maybe now will be different. That maybe now we can change everything for the better."Alessio was very still. "Edric?""He said the old Holt would understand." Lucian turned. His face was composed, his eyes dry, his voice steady. "I'll send word. Through Corvis. She can reach him faster than any rider."Alessio nodded slowly. "I'll go

Chapter 152

Edric's hand rested on the arm of the chair, his fingers curled loosely over the worn wood. His eyes were fixed on Damian's face, watching the slow rise and fall of his chest, the flicker of movement behind his closed lids."Do you know what he is dreaming about?" Rowan asked.Edric nodded. "Yes."Rowan's hand tightened on Damian's. "Ezekiel said he is seeing the past."Edric hummed. "He was shown what Arabella did in the cave. Along with Seraphine. The rituals. The blood. The sacrifices." His voice was quiet, steady. "Ezekiel wanted to stop him from looking for her. He wanted to make him believe she had abandoned him. And now—" He paused. "The curse is showing him what she went through herself. Her fear. Her pain. Her loneliness. In an attempt to change his view of her again."Rowan's jaw tightened. "To make him want her again."Edric nodded slowly. "Yes."Lucian had been standing by the window, his back to the room, his hands clasped behind him. Now he turned. His face was pale, his

Chapter 153

The castle was quiet when Lucian returned. The corridors were empty, the torches low, the guards stationed at their posts with faces that betrayed nothing. He walked past them without speaking, without seeing, without stopping.His room was dark. He did not light a candle. He did not need to see.He stripped off his clothes—the fine fabrics, the careful layers, the armor he wore against the world—and let them fall to the floor. His boots. His shirt. His trousers. The leather gloves that hide the ring he never removed.He stepped into the bathroom. The tiles were cold against his bare feet. The tub was porcelain, deep, old. He turned the tap. Water rushed out—cold, shockingly cold, the kind of cold that stole breath and reason. He did not wait for it to warm.He submerged himself.The water climbed his ankles, his knees, his thighs. He lowered himself until it reached his chest, his shoulders, his throat. He sat in the cold until his skin was numb, until his fingers were stiff, until h

Chapter 154

The corridor was cold. Torches flickered in their brackets, casting long shadows across the stone. Edric leaned against the wall, his arms crossed, his eyes half-closed. Alessio stood beside him, his hands clasped behind his back, his face carved from stone.Lucian's footsteps echoed as he approached. His heart dropped when he saw them—standing outside Damian's door, not inside, not watching over the king who was living through a nightmare."What—" He crossed the distance in a few quick strides, his boots striking the stone. "Why are you two outside? What happened? Is Damian—""He's awake," Alessio said. His voice was quiet, measured. "He woke up. About an hour ago."Lucian's breath caught. Relief flooded through him, warm and dizzying. Then confusion. Then fear."Then why aren't you—""He asked to be alone," Edric said. "He asked everyone to leave."Lucian's eyes narrowed. "And you left?"Alessio's jaw tightened. "Rowan is still in there."Lucian stared at him. The silence stretched.

Chapter 155

The council chamber was cold. The fire had burned low, and the servants had not yet come to stoke it. Lucian stood at the head of the table, his hands braced on the polished wood, his head bowed. Papers were spread before him—reports from the south, supply ledgers, maps marked with routes and territories. Alessio sat to his left, his arms crossed, his face unreadable. Edric would join them later; for now, he was tending to his own preparations, his own rituals, his own quiet watch over the king's chambers. Corvis stood near the window, her focus crystal in her hand, waiting. "The plan is simple," Lucian said. He straightened. "Corvis will travel south. She will locate Nathan and establish a communication

Chapter 156

The road to Tarren Vale narrowed as they approached the border. The hills gave way to a dense forest, the trees old and gnarled, their branches twisting together like clasped hands. The light filtered down in pale streams, dimming as the sun began its slow descent toward the horizon.Nathan had seen the barony from a distance—walls, towers, the familiar shape of a fortified estate. But as they drew closer, the entrance came into view. Blocked.A barricade. Not of stone or wood, but of men. Guards in the colors of House Tarren, their spears lowered, their faces set. They stood shoulder to shoulder across the road, blocking the way forward.Nathan reined in his horse. Derron and Lenore moved ahead, their hands resting on their swords, their postures tense but controlled."Lower your weapons," Lenore called out. "The King's consort requests entrance to Tarren Vale."The guards did not lower their spears. One of them stepped forward—a captain, by the look of his armor, the set of his shou

Chapter 157

The estate rose before them, its stone walls dark against the pale morning sky. The gates were open, the courtyard beyond swept clean of debris. Servants moved in the background, their heads down, their steps quick. Guards stood at attention, their spears gleaming, their eyes fixed on the approaching party.Nathan rode at the front, his horse's hooves striking the cobblestones in slow, deliberate rhythm. Derron and Lenore flanked him, their faces neutral, their hands resting on their swords. The workers and guards and mages followed behind, their voices quiet, their eyes scanning the walls.Lord Marius stood at the entrance.He was tall, broad-shouldered, his dark hair streaked with gray. His clothes were fine but not ostentatious, his posture proud but not arrogant. He watched Nathan approach with an expression that revealed nothing—no welcome, no hostility, no fear.Beside him stood a young man. Oakley. The son. He was sixteen, with his father's height already showing in the length

Chapter 158

The morning light was pale and thin, slipping through the gaps in the curtains. Nathan woke with a headache—splitting, blinding, the kind that made him press his palms to his temples and squeeze his eyes shut against the pain. His stomach churned. He swallowed against the rising bile, forced himself to breathe, forced himself to move.He pushed himself up from the bed.The room spun. He steadied himself against the headboard, waited for the world to settle. Then he stood, walked to the basin, splashed cold water on his face. He washed away the dust of yesterday, the sweat of restless sleep, the lingering ache behind his eyes. He dressed in clean clothes—simple, practical, the same kind he had worn in Halenshire and Redholt.He was reaching for the door when it opened.A servant stood in the doorway, young, dark-haired, her eyes downcast. She bowed."My lord. Lord Marius and Lady Bayley await you in the dining hall. Breakfast is served."Nathan paused. "The people who came with me. Hav

Chapter 159

The next day, the work began.The sun had barely risen over the hills when Nathan's workers gathered in the clearing, tools in hand, plans in mind. The Holt mages had already established their relay, their crystals humming softly in the morning light. Marius had provided a contingent of his own people—laborers, craftsmen, men who knew the land and its needs.They started with the basics. Blueprints were unrolled, designs were discussed, measurements were taken. The first houses would be small, simple, sturdy. Eight families would have roofs over their heads within three days.The work was hard. The sun climbed higher. Sweat soaked through shirts. Muscles ached and blisters formed.But they worked.The guards worked alongside the laborers, their swords set aside, their hands in the dirt. The Holt mages worked, their robes stained with dust and mud, their crystals tucked into their pockets. No one stood apart. No one watched from the shade.When half the day had passed and the sun was ne

Chapter 160

The council chamber was full when the report arrived. The long table was lined with advisors, ministers, and lords who had made the journey to the capital to witness the outcome of the southern campaign. They had heard the rumors—Lord Marius's refusal, the blocked entrance, the tension at the border. They had expected failure. They had expected Nathan to return to the capital with his tail between his legs, the south still broken, the King's authority still challenged.Lucian received the report in silence. His hands were steady, his face composed, his eyes scanning the parchment. The room waited.The handwriting was not Nathan's. Nor was it Derron's or Lenore's. It was something else entirely—looping, elegant, almost artistic. Every stroke was deliberate, every curve precise. It was the kind of handwriting that belonged in a museum, not on a military dispatch.And the content—Lucian read it once. Then again. Then a third time.The detailing was meticulous. Every village visited, every

PREV

...

12 13 14 15 16 17

NEXT

SCAN CODE TO READ ON APP

DMCA.com Protection Status