All Chapters of The Silver Pact: Chapter 131 - Chapter 140

"Out! Move!" Captain Vane shouted, shoving Julian ahead through a narrow fissure near the rear of the cavern.Gideon kept his arm anchored securely around my waist, guiding my steps as we scrambled through the tight, jagged rock opening just seconds before the entire ceiling crashed down. We burst out onto the rocky shoreline half a mile north of the main strait, gasping for fresh air.Behind us, the coastal cliff was a ruined pile of fallen stone. Ahead, the Western-occupied harbor town of Oakhaven lay under a dark, eerie shadow."They've already taken the town," Julian whispered, ducking behind a coastal boulder as he pointed toward the harbor lights. "The heavy siege mortars pounding the cliffs are mounted directly on Caspian's flagship docked in the main bay."Gideon stood tall beside me, testing his partially recovered shoulder. His golden eyes were sharp, the dark poison mostly cleared from his veins thanks to our shared bond and Julian's sea-herb tincture."We can't bring our v

The explosion behind us threw a fire across the dark harbor, but I couldn't stop to watch Caspian’s flagship sink.Caspian’s dying boast echoed over and over in my head. The initial attack on Oakhaven harbor was never meant to conquer the coast. It was a massive, bloody feint designed to draw Gideon and me away from Crown City, leaving the southern river entrance wide open for his secondary fleet."We have to move now!" I shouted, leaping over the burning wreckage on the lower deck as the ship listed heavily into the water.Gideon caught my arm, pulling me toward the stern where two warhorses were tethered to the pier. "He's heading for the southern river gates. If his ironclads breach the river mouth, Crown City falls before dawn!"We threw ourselves into our saddles and spurred the horses forward. We rode at breakneck speed along the winding coastal road, pushing the horses to their absolute limits under the moonless midnight sky. The wind howled against our faces, sharp and cold,

The water went down the valley with a deafening roar, churning up trees, boulders, and broken timber."Run!" Gideon bellowed, gripping my wrist and hauling me up the muddy embankment toward our horses. "We have minutes before that wave hits the lower valley!""The refugee camps" I gasped, scrambling onto my saddle as my horse reared in terror. "They're directly in the flood path! They won't hear the breach coming!"We dug our heels into our mounts' flanks, racing ahead of the rushing floodwaters. The coastal road gave way to the low valley meadows surrounding Crown City's outer perimeter. Hundreds of canvas tents, wooden shacks, and fragile shelters lined the riverbanks housing thousands of displaced families who had fled the initial Western border raids."Vane Rally the Ironclaw Legion" Gideon shouted as we galloped into the eastern edge of the sprawling camp. "Get every soldier pulling families to the northern ridges! Leave the supplies! Move!"Panicked screams erupted across the c

The smoke rose fast, turning into a thick, swirling cloud that burned my throat and blurred my vision."Gideon..." I gasped, my knees buckling beneath me as my lungs refused to take in real air."Cover your mouth!" Gideon’s rough command sounded muffled and distant, as if I were listening to him through heavy water.My legs gave out entirely. I slipped down the stone wall, my fingers scraping against the cold rock as darkness pulled aggressively at the edges of my mind. The world tilted sideways. I heard the frantic, heavy impact of Gideon’s boots, and then his massive arms wrapped around my torso, hoisting me against his chest."I won't let you fall, Lyra!" he roared.He gathered his absolute last reserve of kinetic power, his entire body trembling violently with the exertion. His dark golden eyes burned through the foggy air as he channeled every ounce of strength into his boots and right arm. He didn't waste time slamming his sword against the massive iron portcullis. Instead, he s

Gideon leaped off the marble dais before the iron blade could reach Julian.He threw his massive body directly into the path of the mutated monster, bringing up his heavy broadsword to parry the strike. The heavy iron blade slammed into Gideon’s armored chest with terrifying force, the sheer physical weight of the blow cracking his steel breastplate and throwing him backward onto the plush red carpet."Gideon”I shrieked, sprinting down the steps toward him.Julian spun around in horror as Gideon hit the floor with a heavy clatter, coughing up a spray of crimson blood. The mutated Malakor let out a wet, guttural roar, lifting his massive sword once more to drive it through Gideon’s exposed throat."Julian, move” I screamed.I didn't try to strike Malakor with direct elemental force; the dark, swirling mist of Void-Bane around his gray skin ate away at any magical projectile before it could land. Instead, I reached for the very atmosphere surrounding his towering form. Drawing upon my Ai