The council chamber was lit by a ring of moonfire torches, their silver flames flickering against the carved stone walls.
Kael strode in with the journal hidden beneath his cloak.
The Elders of Skyblood were already waiting.
Elder Maevin Frostgarde,
the oldest among them, white-haired and solemn, bowed deeply.
"Your Majesty… it has been long indeed since we gathered for matters of the ancient kind."
Kael did not sit.
"We meet because something is stirring. I want answers—now."
Maevin exchanged a grave look with the others.
Elder Sarin Thornbrook,
rigid in posture, hands clasped behind his back, stood with disapproval etched into every line of his face.
"If this is about your grief clouding judgment again—"
Garron stepped forward, a warning growl in his voice.
"Watch yourself, Elder."
Sarin's eyes narrowed at him.
"I will speak the truth, Commander. The king must act with clarity, not sorrow."
Tension thickened the air.
Kael cut in coldly, "Enough. Continue."
Elder Kirra Nightwell
inclined her head gently.
"Then let us begin, my king."
She was soft-spoken, kind—but her gaze missed nothing. She had served Kael's father and whispered wisdom the way a river whispers secrets: quietly, but with force.
Kael folded his arms.
"What do you know of the shadows returning?"
The elders exchanged uneasy glances.
It was Maevin who answered.
"There are whispers from the old texts… that the Shadow, once defeated, would seek to return when the Moonstone Vein weakens."
Sarin's voice cut sharply:
"That Vein lies beneath your kingdom, King Kael. Beneath your bloodline's protection. If it is stirring, then you have failed to guard it."
Garron bristled. "Mind your tone."
But Kael only stared at Sarin, his expression unreadable.
"Why now?" Kael asked. "And why attack my queen?"
Silence.
Then a soft voice drifted from the far end of the chamber.
"Because she stood in their way."
The moonfire dimmed.
A ripple of ancient power swept through the room as Eloween, Moon Seer of Skyblood, stepped forward. Her silver eyes glowed faintly beneath her hood, her presence quiet yet overpowering.
She bowed her head.
"Your Majesty."
Kael exhaled sharply.
"You knew something."
"I foresaw fragments," she admitted. "Shadows clawing at the borders. A hunger for power buried deep beneath this land. A force that despises life, despises magic, despises the moon's touch."
Her gaze lifted.
"And I foresaw your mate standing against them. Aria was not merely queen—she was the last barrier keeping the Shadow from fully entering this world."
The room chilled.
Kirra whispered, "Then her death was not random."
Eloween nodded.
"No. It was planned."
Kael's fists clenched.
"By whom?"
Eloween's eyes softened with sorrow.
"There is betrayal in these walls, my king. Aria suspected it too. Her final visions were clouded… but they warned of an insider."
Sarin stiffened, his gaze darting to Garron.
"How convenient," he said sharply. "The queen dies, the king collapses, and the Commander just happens to be away from the garden at the moment she is attacked—"
Garron growled low, muscles tensing. "Say that again."
"Enough," Kael snapped, his voice like thunder. The torches flickered.
Elder Maevin intervened with a steady hand.
"Accusations will tear us apart. We need truth, not chaos."
Eloween stepped closer to Kael.
"My king… this is only the beginning. The Shadow wants three things:
the Moonstone Vein, your bloodline, and the last High Healer."
Kael frowned. "The last High Healer?"
Eloween nodded.
"She lives beyond the borders. Hidden. Her name is—"
A pause.
"Lyra Moonsong."
Kael's breath stilled.
Eloween's next words carried the weight of destiny.
And you will need her… if you hope to survive what is coming.