Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 41 - Chapitre 50

The Secret Inside the CastleRowan’s POVThe wolves weren't leaving. They were going somewhere. And somehow, I knew where. The mountains. The gate. The words from the stranger kept circling my mind.The gate beneath Aurelis. I stared at the wooden wolf in my palm. The tiny crown carved beneath the silver crescent was still glowing. “Why is it showing me this?”No one answered. Kael stood straight in from me. His eyes were fixed on the standing wolf. Garrick waited near the door. The silver-eyed stranger remained silent.I finally looked at him. “You said the wolves were going to open the gate?” I asked. “Yes.” He answered. “How?”“Through you.”My stomach tightened. I stepped back. “I don't understand.”“You don't need to understand everything tonight.”Kael's voice cut through the room. The stranger looked at him. “That's what your father said.” Kael looked troubled. “Do not speak about my father.” The stranger didn't flinch. “Then ask your grandmother.”“She is dead.” He answered..

The Man Beyond the SnowRowan’s POVI saw my father. Or I saw a man who looked exactly like him. And that frightened me more than seeing a stranger.I stood at the window, unable to move. The snow continued falling. The forest swallowed the figure. But his face remained in my mind. Silver eyes. Dark hair.The same sharp jaw I had seen in my fragmented memories. “Father…” The word barely left my lips. Kael stepped beside me.“Where?” I pointed to the forest. “He was there.” Kael looked outside. “Garrick!” The door opened. “Your Majesty?”“Seal the northern grounds.”Garrick nodded. “Already done.” Kael looked at him. “Then how did someone get close enough to the castle?”“We don't know.”The silver-eyed stranger spoke from behind us. “He wasn't trying to enter.”Kael turned. “What was he doing?”“Watching.”I looked at the stranger. “You said Orion is dead.”“I said Aurelis fell.”“That isn't the same thing.”“No.”His eyes shifted to me. “It isn't.”My heart pounded. “Then you believe

The King Beneath the RoadRowan’s POVThe thing beneath the road opened its eyes. They were silver. Just like mine. Just like Kael's. I couldn't move. The ground split wider. A deep roar rolled through the forest. Trees shook. Snow fell from the branches.Kael grabbed my arm. “Rowan. Run.” I looked at him. My father's words echoed in my head. The person standing beside you.“You?” Kael froze. “What?”“My father said you're the one opening the gate.” His eyes hardened. “I heard him.”“Is it true?”“No.”The answer came immediately. But there was something in his face. Something he was hiding. I pulled my arm free. “Then tell me what you know.”“Not here.”“Why?”“Because we are standing on top of something that wants you dead.” The ground shook again. Orion shouted from across the road. “Kael!” Kael turned back.Orion's face was urgent. “Get him away from here!”Kael stepped in front of me. I stepped back. “Don't.” He stopped. For the first time, uncertainty crossed his face. “I don't

The Voice I BuriedRowan’s POVMy mother's voice came from the darkness. I couldn't breathe. The hall was completely black. “Mother?” No answer.Kael moved in front of me. “Everyone stay where you are.”Garrick drew his sword. Damon stepped backward. Elias whispered something I couldn't hear. Then the voice came again.“Rowan.” My knees nearly gave out. I knew that voice. I had heard it in dreams. A woman's soft voice. A lullaby. A whisper calling me little moon.But my mother was dead. At least, that was what I had always believed. A single candle flickered near the far wall. Then another. A figure appeared beside the doorway. A woman. Dark cloak. Silver hair.Her face remained hidden beneath a hood.Kael raised his sword. “Identify yourself.” The woman didn't answer him. She looked at me.“Rowan.” I took a step forward. “Who are you?” The woman removed her hood. My heart stopped. I knew that face. Not from a portrait. From memory. A fragmented memory. A woman's arms around me. A kis

The Night He StayedRowan’s POVThe knocking came again. Three slow blows beneath the castle. Nobody spoke.Then my baby kicked. I bent slightly and pressed a hand against my stomach.“Easy.”Kael was beside me immediately. “Are you in pain?”“No.”“Rowan.”“I said no.”He didn't move. “Then why are you holding your stomach?”“Because my child just kicked hard enough to make me forget what we were talking about.”Garrick glanced at us and smiled. The black-crowned Chancellor also gave a quiet laugh. “Interesting.” Kael turned to him. “What?”“The guardian.”“What about him?”“You're beginning to sound less like a king.”Kael lips patched. “And you're beginning to talk too much.” The Chancellor smiled. Before he could answer, Helena hurried into the hall. “Rowan.” She carried her medical bag.“I heard the explosion.”“There was no explosion,” Kael said. She ignored him. “Rowan, sit down.”“I’m fine.”“Sit.”Something in her voice made me obey. She knelt beside me and checked my pulse.