Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 61 - Chapitre 70

The heavy doors of the council hall slammed shut behind them, and Lyra felt the weight of every stare in the room settle on her shoulders. Rowan walked beside her, his steps still unsteady from the journey and the ritual, but he held his head high. She stayed close, her hand brushing his arm for support. The air inside was thick with tension. Candles flickered on the long table, casting long shadows across the faces of the elders and advisors who had already gathered.Rowan pulled out a chair for her first, then took his own at the head of the table. His face was pale, but his voice was firm when he spoke. "Thank you for coming so quickly. The situation at our borders has worsened. The Shadowlands have crossed the Frostwood. Their army is marching."Murmurs rippled through the room. Lyra sat stiffly, her hands folded tightly in her lap. She could feel the mix of fear and suspicion in the air. Some elders looked at her with open worry. Others watched her like she was the problem itself

The wind carried the smell of smoke and blood across the border camp. Lyra stood beside Rowan on a small rise, watching the distant flicker of shadow creatures moving through the trees. Her heart had not stopped racing since they arrived. Rowan had insisted on coming despite still recovering from the sanctuary. She had begged him to stay behind, but he would not listen."I need to be here," he had told her that morning, his hand gentle on her cheek. "These are my people. I cannot hide in the palace while they die."Now, as shouts rose from the front line, she wished she had fought harder to keep him away.A wave of shadow creatures broke through the tree line. They moved too fast, their bodies flickering like the ones in the courtyard. Rowan drew his sword. His grip was steady, but Lyra saw the slight tremor in his fingers."Stay close to the healers," he said to her.Before she could answer, he charged forward with the soldiers. Lyra’s stomach dropped. She followed at a distance, cro

Lyra stood in their private chambers, the shard of shadow resting on the small table between them. The fire in the hearth crackled softly, but it did nothing to warm the cold that had settled deep in her bones. She could not stop staring at the shard. It sat there, dark and jagged, pulsing faintly like a heartbeat. The messenger’s words still echoed in her head. A throne beside the Shadow King. The invasion would stop if she accepted. Her people would live.Rowan sat across from her, his shoulders slumped in the chair. He looked exhausted. The shadow mark peeked above the collar of his shirt, darker today after the skirmish. He had not said much since they returned from the council hall, but she could see the storm in his eyes."I keep thinking about the villages," Lyra said quietly. Her voice trembled. "The children. The families who have already lost everything. If I say yes... it all ends. No more burning. No more death."Rowan reached across the table and took her hand. His finger

Lyra knelt beside Rowan in the makeshift command tent, her hands pressed gently against his chest. The fabric of his shirt was damp with sweat, and beneath it she could feel the shadow mark pulsing like a second, darker heart. The border camp around them was alive with noise and fear. Soldiers shouted orders, horses neighed in panic, and the distant sounds of fighting still carried on the wind. But inside the tent, everything felt smaller. Just the two of them and the heavy weight of what was coming."You need to rest," she whispered, her voice cracking. She brushed her fingers across his forehead, pushing back damp strands of hair. His skin was too hot in some places and far too cold in others. "You pushed yourself too hard today. Let me handle the next watch."Rowan caught her wrist, his grip weak but determined. His gray eyes met hers, filled with a love so deep it hurt to look at. "I am not leaving you to face this alone. Not while I can still stand." He tried to sit up straighter

Lyra paced the small hidden chamber beneath the palace, her footsteps echoing softly against the stone. The healer’s words from the night before still rang in her ears. Only the Shadow King can remove the mark now. She had not slept. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw Rowan’s pale face, the black veins spreading across his skin, and the fear in his eyes that he tried so hard to hide from her. The weight of it pressed on her chest until she could barely breathe.She stopped near the small table where maps and old scrolls lay scattered. Her fingers brushed over one of the symbols from the sanctuary. Light and shadow. That was what she carried inside her. That was what the Shadow King wanted. But she would not give him Rowan. She would not give him anything.The door opened quietly. Rowan stepped in first, moving slower than usual. He tried to hide the pain, but she saw the way he favored his left side and how his hand pressed lightly against his chest. Kael and Vera followed close