جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 20

Lucien POVA high-pitched sound cut through the darkness. The High Council's lasers had finally broken through the top of the bunker. Sparks fell from the ceiling into the rising water. They made a lot of noise as they died out. The ceiling was starting to break because of the heat. We did not have time left.I did not wait for the metal to melt. I went to the edge of the bed. Picked up Kael. I held him close to me.As soon as his chest touched mine, I felt a strong shock. It came from the mark on my wrist. It went up my arm to my spine. It felt like someone had put glass inside me. The old blood bond made Kael's pain feel even worse. I bit my teeth together so hard that my jaw hurt, but I did not let go of Kael. I used my power to calm him down. I sent a wave of cold through my shirt to cool his skin.Kael was very light. Under his wet shirt, I could feel his bones. I could feel the edges of his ribs, his hip bones, and his spine. I felt angry and sad. For twenty years, the Sump ha

Kael POVThe violent purple light disappeared. The grand sanctuary became quiet again. The mechanical click from the frame stopped.I lay flat on my back on the stone floor. My chest rose and fell as I stared at the ceiling. My eyes hurt from the flash. Bright spots floated across my vision, making the carved arches look like they were melting. The heavy feeling in my lungs faded into a dull ache, and the cold numbness beneath my skin slowly retreated until it settled back into the lines on my wrist."Kael! Don't close your eyes. Look at me!" Rin's voice echoed through the hall. His hands grabbed my shoulders and pulled me upright, my back hitting the marble dais. He was shaking, his wide eyes searching my face."I'm... here," I coughed, the dry air scraping my throat as I pushed his hands away. My fingers were trembling so badly I could barely make a fist. "Stop shaking me, Rin. I'm not broken.""Your eyes..." Rin whispered, stepping back and pulling a small torch from his medical ba

Kael POVThe city gates thudded shut behind us, sealing the Crypt in suffocating silence. We stood in a corridor of bone-white marble, lined with statues stretching into the dark. No wind. No rot. Only the hollow rhythmic thud of our boots against the stone.As we passed the first pair of statues—a King and a Consort—a low, grinding moan echoed through the floorboards. The earth groaned beneath us.Then, the impossible happened.Hundreds of statues tilted forward in unison. Every stone chin dipped toward the floor. They were bowing.I stopped, my breath hitching. "Julian, do you see that?"Julian stood motionless, his scanner hovering over a king's face. He didn't turn. "In all the records, there's no mention of the statues reacting to anyone. Not even the Sovereigns.""Why now?" Rin’s voice cracked. He hugged his medical bag to his chest. "Why him?""I don't know," Julian whispered.The silver rings in my eyes pulsed, a rhythmic throb that matched the heartbeat of the hall. I felt wa

Lucien POVThe Living City was alive and breathing. The walls made of quartz had a soft amber glow that went in and out like Kael's heartbeat. I carried him through the amber doors. My shoulder hurt where the statue had hit me. I did not care. Kael's body was limp against my chest. His skin was cold like mountain stone."Julian," I said.Julian was at my side. He had a flashlight. The beam cut through the quiet air."My lord?" he asked."Find a place for Kael to rest. He is very sick."Julian looked around. Then, he pointed to a building made of white quartz with doors made of solid amber."The central arch. It looks like a place where people can get help when they are sick."Rin was trying to keep up with us. He had a bag, and he was holding it tight."Kael is in shock, Lucien. If his heart does not get better, it will hurt his brain. We need to get him warm."I did not say anything. I pushed the amber doors open with my shoulder. The room smelled like dried flowers and something els

Kael POVThe air in the archive was freezing. Water was dripping from a pipe above me, hitting the floorboards with a loud crack. I was staring at the letters on Julian's computer. Mara. That name was burning in my mind like a fire. She was the woman who gave me bandages. She was the woman who bought me soup when the clinic was flooded. She was the person who treated me like a human being.She was paid to take care of me. She got fifty thousand credits every year to raise me like an animal. I felt my knees giving way.The letters blurred before me. I remembered every time Mara smiled, told me to be careful, and pushed pills into my hand. Now every memory felt poisoned. I could not tell which parts were real."Kael," Lucien's voice was calling me from far away.I hit the floor. The cold stone was slapping my hands, making them feel numb. I was trying to breathe. I could not get any air. The walls were closing in on me. The shelves were tilting like a ship in a storm.I thought about th