The corridors of the Palace of Eternal Night were silent that night—too silent.
Kael moved with careful steps, his boots barely making a sound against the cold stone floor. He was on his usual rounds: checking the wards on Seraphine's chambers, ensuring no one entered without permission, watching for anything unusual.
He didn't need to see it to know something had changed.
Something was wrong.
He could feel it in the air—a pressure like before a storm, thick and electric.
Then he heard it.
A whisper.
Not from the walls.
From inside.
"They're coming."
Kael froze.
Seraphine's door was slightly ajar.
He pushed it open slowly, hand resting on the hilt of his sword.
Inside, Lady Nyxara was speaking in hushed tones to Seraphine, who sat pale and rigid on the edge of her bed.
Nyxara turned sharply as Kael entered.
"They know," she said grimly.
Kael stepped closer. "Who knows what?"
Nyxara's lips pressed into a thin line. "The council. They know about the Wombstone. About the Heart of the First Vampire. About everything."
Seraphine closed her eyes. "We were betrayed."
***
It hadn't been hard to trace the source.
Lord Malrik.
One of the queen's most trusted advisors—and now, her deadliest enemy.
Earlier that evening, he had sent a message through a hidden courier—one sealed not with wax, but with blood magic. The ink shimmered faintly red even now, the spell still active enough to be detected by Nyxara's keen eye.
"The message details everything," Nyxara said. "Your condition, your plans, our route if we decide to flee. Even the nature of Aeloria."
Kael clenched his jaw. "He told them everything ."
Seraphine's voice was quiet, but sharp. "Why?"
Nyxara hesitated. "Because he believes you are already lost."
Seraphine stood slowly, her hands trembling at her sides.
"He was afraid," she murmured. "And he chose betrayal over loyalty."
Kael looked toward the door. "Where is he now?"
Nyxara frowned. "Gone. Disappeared after sending the message."
Seraphine took a slow breath. "Then they'll come for me soon."
"Tonight," Nyxara confirmed.
"I told you," came the whisper from within her womb.
"They want me."
Seraphine placed a hand over her belly. "They won't take you."
"No," Aeloria replied softly.
"You'll give me to them."
Seraphine flinched.
She turned to Kael.
"We have to move."
***
By midnight, the palace was under siege—not by swords or armies, but by silence.
The guards stationed outside Seraphine's room had vanished.
The torches lining the corridor flickered unnaturally, casting shadows that moved when no one was near.
Kael stood watch outside the queen's chamber, sword drawn, muscles coiled tight.
Behind him, Nyxara worked hastily, drawing protective sigils on the stone floor with powdered silver and crushed obsidian.
Seraphine sat at the center of the circle, wrapped in a cloak laced with ancient enchantments designed to mask her presence.
"It won't hold for long," Nyxara warned. "The council is powerful."
Kael glanced toward the end of the hall.
Footsteps.
Soft. Deliberate.
Then, a knock.
Three sharp raps against the heavy wooden door.
Kael did not lower his weapon.
"Go away," he called.
A pause.
Then, a voice—smooth and velvet-soft.
"Kael."
"Let us speak."
It was Velitha.
One of the elder members of the Crimson Council.
Kael hesitated.
Then, reluctantly, he opened the door.
Velitha stepped inside, alone save for a single shadow trailing behind her like smoke.
She wore a crimson robe embroidered with golden threads that shimmered like firelight.
Her smile was practiced. Calm.
"Queen Seraphine," she said smoothly. "May I come in?"
Seraphine did not answer.
Instead, she met her gaze steadily.
"I know what you've done," she said quietly.
Velitha tilted her head. "Have you spoken to Malrik, then?"
Seraphine's voice hardened. "He betrayed me."
Velitha sighed. "Betrayal is such a strong word."
Kael stepped between them. "What do you want?"
Velitha's eyes gleamed. "What we all want. Peace."
She gestured gently toward Seraphine's belly.
"And the child."
Seraphine's hand tightened into a fist.
"Let them try," Aeloria whispered.
***
Later that night, after Velitha had left—smiling as she disappeared into the darkness—Seraphine sat in silence, staring out the window.
Rain fell in soft sheets across the courtyard below.
Kael stood beside her.
"She wants her," he said. "All of them do."
Seraphine nodded. "But not to protect her. To use her."
Kael exhaled slowly. "Then we can't stay here."
Seraphine looked down at her belly.
"We should leave," she whispered.
"Before they come back."
Kael met her gaze.
"Do you trust me?"
She hesitated.
Then, slowly, she nodded.
"Yes."
He extended his hand.
"Then let's go."
***
As the first light of dawn touched the palace walls, Seraphine, Kael, and Nyxara slipped through the secret tunnels beneath Virelle.
The palace would fall to the Crimson Council soon.
But not yet.
Not while the Devouring Child still lived.
And not while there was still time to run.