Semua Bab A TALL HORNY STRANGER : Bab 101 - Bab 110

THE MAN WHO WANTED A KINGDOM ARIABefore anyone could ask another question, the Markovic coin inside my pocket began to vibrate.Then glow.A brilliant golden light seeped through the fabric of my jacket.The same light spread across the marble doorway once again, but this time it didn't stop there.Golden lines raced across the floor of the cavern, illuminating ancient carvings hidden beneath centuries of dust.The entire underground city seemed to awaken.Massive stone pillars trembled.Ancient gears groaned somewhere deep below.Then, from far across the cavern, another doorway—one none of us had noticed before—slowly began to open.Marcus turned toward the sound.His expression hardened."They're coming."Through the widening doorway, dozens of flashlight beams pierced the darkness.Viktor Sokolov had found another entrance to the underground city.And this time...There was nothing left between him and the Vault except us.VIKTOR SOKOLOVThe hidden doorway finished opening with

104A HOUSE DIVIDED ARIA"You've been trying to kill me," I called back.Sokolov slowly shook his head."If I wanted you dead, Miss Markovic, you would never have reached this city."Marcus laughed bitterly."That's the worst lie I've heard all week.""It isn't a lie.""What about the men who attacked the estate?""I ordered them to capture her."Marcus's expression hardened."They were using live ammunition.""They were instructed to fire only if your people resisted."One of Marcus's guards scoffed."Convenient."Sokolov ignored him."Violence follows fear. I expected resistance, and resistance always spills blood."I wanted to hate how calmly he spoke.I wanted to dismiss every word that came out of his mouth.But after everything I'd learned, certainty had become impossible.Everyone claimed to be protecting me.Everyone insisted someone else was lying.Everyone believed they were right.I was exhausted.Sebastian stepped forward."You've always enjoyed twisting the truth, Viktor

106BEYOND THE SECOND LOCKARIAI looked beyond the doorway.The corridor inside was lined with black marble pillars, each engraved with the Markovic crest. Between them stood bronze statues of men and women I didn't recognize."They're not kings," Sebastian said quietly, noticing where I was looking."They're not?""They were the first Keepers.""The Keepers?""The people your grandfather trusted before there was a Trust."Marcus glanced at him."You've never mentioned them.""Because no one asked."Marcus looked ready to argue, but another sound interrupted him.Footsteps.Not from Sokolov's side.From inside the Vault.Slow.Measured.Echoing against polished stone.My breath caught."Someone else is in there," one of the guards whispered.Sebastian shook his head."No."The footsteps continued.Closer.Steadier.Until finally...A figure emerged from the golden corridor.It wasn't a person.At least not a living one.It was a life-sized bronze statue mounted on hidden rails beneat

108THE VOICEARIASebastian interrupted my thoughts."There is something else you should know.""What?""The Final Chamber doesn't open with the coin."I instinctively touched the Markovic coin in my pocket."It doesn't?"He shook his head."The coin only proves your identity.""Then what opens it?"Sebastian looked directly at the letter still clutched in my hand."Your choice."I frowned."I don't understand.""You will."That answer frustrated me more than it should have.Everyone around me seemed to possess pieces of the truth while I remained trapped in the middle.Marcus noticed."They've all spent years living with these secrets."He lowered his voice."You've had a few days."His words grounded me.He was right.I couldn't expect myself to understand a lifetime of hidden history overnight.A deep metallic rumble echoed through the corridor.The glowing lines along the walls pulsed once.Then again.Sebastian's expression sharpened."It's waiting.""The chamber?""Yes."He ste

110THE FINAL CHOICE ARIAI looked at the white marble door.Then at the coin.Then back at Marcus."If I open this..."My voice trembled."...everything changes."He nodded once."I know.""And if I don't...""Everything still changes."A faint smile tugged at the corner of my mouth."You're terrible at making decisions easier.""I wasn't trying to."Despite everything, I laughed softly.The sound echoed through the corridor.Then...The female voice returned.Not from behind the door this time.From all around us."Your grandfather always said..."The words drifted gently through the marble hallway."...that courage isn't opening every door."My heart pounded."It's knowing which ones should remain closed."Sebastian closed his eyes.A tear rolled slowly down his weathered cheek."I remember that."I looked at him in surprise."You've heard this before?""No."His voice broke."I heard him say those exact words... forty years ago."The realization hit me immediately.This wasn't my