Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 41 - Chapitre 42

The cold mountain wind howled against the jagged stone exterior of the northern villa, driving a fine, abrasive sleet across the dark slate roof and plastering patches of wet snow against the tall arrow-slit windows. Inside, however, the atmosphere was thick, humid, and heavy with the suffocating smell of scorched ozone, melting candle wax, and old sulfur.Valerius paced the length of the grand chamber, his heavy iron-topped boots striking the marble flags with a rhythmic, impatient snap that echoed loudly in the cavernous space. The sprawling estate, once the private, heavily guarded sanctum of the man the world knew as Vice, still bore the eerie quiet of an abandoned tomb, with dust sheets draped over forgotten furniture and a lingering chill in the air. But Valerius was rapidly changing that, breathing a violent new life into the desolate halls."Can you feel the wards taking hold along the western wall?" Valerius murmured, pausing near a towering stained-glass window where the moo