CHAPTER 8 — The Secret Beneath the Throne
The palace had fallen.
Smoke covered the sky.
Adrian's soldiers hunted anyone still loyal to the old king.
The queen escaped through hidden tunnels with Elias, the old healer, and a handful of royal guards.
They finally reached an ancient chamber buried beneath the throne room.
No one had entered it for centuries.
At the center stood an enormous stone pedestal.
Resting upon it...
Was not gold.
Not jewels.
But a weathered iron collar.
The old healer whispered,
"This is the Covenant Collar."
"The first king forged it nearly a thousand years ago."
"It was never used to control the Black Wolf..."
"It was created to imprison the Silver Wolf."
The queen looked confused.
"Then why was it hidden?"
The healer's face became pale.
"Because every generation forgot the final sentence of the prophecy."
She opened an ancient scroll.
The faded words read:
"When brothers fight for the crown, neither deserves it."
"Only the child raised by the Guardian may choose whether beasts or mankind shall rule forever."
Elias stared silently at the collar.
It suddenly felt warm in his hands.
Images flooded his mind.
The Black Wolf carrying him through snow.
Its body shielding him from hunters.
Its mournful cries every full moon.
Then another vision appeared.
The Silver Wolf...
Not as a monster.
But as a guardian.
Long ago...
Both wolves had protected humanity together.
Until humans betrayed them.
Neither beast had started this war.
People had.
Before anyone could speak...
The chamber doors exploded inward.
Adrian stood there.
Behind him...
The Silver Wolf entered the chamber.
Its enormous white eyes locked onto Elias.
Instead of attacking...
It slowly bowed.
The healer gasped.
May you like
"No..."
"It recognizes him too..."
