Part 3 : The Game of Thrones Unseen
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Rain soaked the black-tiled roof of the Velcrest Estate as a circle of nobles gathered in the shadowed chamber beneath the main hall. Torches lined the stone walls, their flames flickering with secrecy, casting half-light on half-truths.
Lord Elvran sat at the head of the table, his fingers laced beneath his chin. A silver wolf crest glinted on his cloak, and his eyes were like frost sharp, unmoved.
"Is the girl secured?"
Lady Marisol nodded, her hair braided like coils of gold. "Lireen Lirevain is in place. The House of Lirevain has submitted to the conditions. Her parents remain obedient... for now."
"Good," Elvran said with a satisfied sigh. "Their daughter's rebellion was becoming... problematic."
"And the boy? The one called Kael?" asked Duke Hadran from across the table.
Elvran narrowed his eyes. "That one is dangerous. He's unpredictable. Our agents at Arcanhelm say he holds influence beyond his station."
A murmur rippled through the chamber.
"A commoner with influence?" one noble scoffed. "Healers should know their place."
"He isn't just a healer," Elvran corrected. "He's... something else. And that makes him a threat."
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From the far corner, a cloaked figure stepped forward.
"May I speak?"
The nobles quieted.
"We tried to suppress him with bureaucracy. It failed. We tried isolation. It failed. Now we separate him from the girl. It may stall his resolve."
"Stall?" Hadran growled. "We need elimination."
Elvran raised a hand. "No. Not yet. Blood spilled without precision is a stain, not a solution."
He tapped the table once, and a servant emerged from behind a hidden door, carrying a sealed scroll.
"Deliver this to the Watchers in Auria. Tell them the 'Voice That Shouldn't Speak' may have returned. We cannot let it reach Kael."
The cloaked figure nodded and vanished into the dark.
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Only one person remained behind. An old man with ash-grey eyes and the markings of a forgotten order hidden beneath his sleeve.
He listened. He memorized.
And when the room emptied, he stepped quietly toward the torch, removed a sigil from beneath his robes, and whispered:
> "The Architect warned us. The gears are moving again."
He dropped the sigil into the flame, letting it burn.
> "Let Kael know... not all eyes are blind."
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🔹Chapter Highlight Teaser : In a secret council of nobles, plots unfold to suppress Kael and bind Lireen to a political fate. But amidst the manipulation and threats, an ancient order begins to awaken in silence, remembering a prophecy long buried...
Next : Chapter 18 - "The Feather and the Thorn"
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đź“– Teaser Recap :
> In a secret council of nobles, plots unfold to suppress Kael and bind Lireen to a political fate. But amidst the manipulation and threats, an ancient order begins to awaken in silence, remembering a prophecy long buried...
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