he throne room of Valthor stood cloaked in shadow and silence. Gilded chandeliers flickered with restrained firelight, casting long, crawling shadows across the stone floor like phantoms of the past. Kael sat upon the high throne—his throne—one leg draped over the other, fingers drumming in a rhythm only he understood.
Power pulsed through the air, coiled and waiting.
Elaine stood at his side, regal in her tailored black silk, a silent guardian with eyes sharper than most blades. The city was his now—tamed, bleeding obedience. And yet, it was the letter in his hand that held his full attention.
Silver silk. A seal untouched by human hands. The Queen of Eldoria had sent her call.
"She wouldn't invite you unless she was curious," Elaine murmured, breaking the silence like a scalpel to flesh.
Kael didn't look at her. "Curiosity is a leash. One I intend to tighten."
Elaine's brow arched, though her lips curled into something darker than amusement. "You think you can control her?"
"I don't think," Kael replied, rising from the throne. "I know she'll see reason. Eventually."
Elaine's voice lowered. "She's dangerous. More than most men you've broken. She's not looking to bow."
Kael smirked as he brushed past her, his cloak trailing like smoke. "Then I'll make her want to kneel."
Kael's approach to Eldoria was quiet, deliberate. No banners. No blaring horns or armies trailing behind. Just silence, shadows, and purpose.
Eldoria rose like a myth made stone. Its towers shimmered under twilight, carved from pale crystal and ancient white marble, wrapped in ivy that glowed under violet lanternlight. The city pulsed with hidden magic—old, proud, and watching.
The Queen's palace loomed ahead. It wasn't a castle—it was a weapon wrapped in beauty. Guarded by statues of faceless angels and veiled serpents, it welcomed Kael with open fangs.
Inside the great hall, nobles stood in clusters, their silk masks hiding expressions, but not their fear. And then the crowd parted.
She descended the stairs like a storm in slow motion.
Queen Isolde.
Draped in sapphire silk laced with onyx, her golden hair cascading in controlled waves, emerald eyes gleaming like cursed jewels. Every movement was precise, predatory, regal. Her presence silenced the chamber.
"Lord Kael," she said, voice smooth as velvet and edged with steel. "So the shadow of Valthor darkens my court at last."
Kael met her gaze without flinching. "I found your summons... difficult to ignore."
Her smile was subtle—just enough to threaten. "I didn't summon. I invited. A subtlety you should learn before walking into a queen's court unarmed."
Kael stepped forward. "I never walk unarmed."
A hushed laugh rippled through the gathered court. Isolde's eyes glinted with genuine interest now.
"And tell me," she said, circling him slowly, like a lioness appraising a rival predator, "what does the Warlord of Shadows want from Eldoria?"
Kael allowed her to circle. "Not your throne, if that's your fear. I want something far more valuable."
"And what's that?" she asked, stopping directly in front of him.
He leaned in, his voice barely a whisper. "Your allegiance."
The room went still.
Isolde's expression didn't change, but her eyes darkened just slightly—intrigue, danger, perhaps even delight.
"Then let us talk, Lord Kael," she said, turning and ascending to her throne once more. "But be warned—every king who's tried to chain me has drowned in his own ambition."
Kael smiled.
"Then I suppose I'll just have to teach you how to swim."
To Be Continued...