Princess's Revenge: Slave to the Soulbound King Chapter 65

Thalia

The afternoon sunlight filtered through the tall stained-glass windows of Draven's chambers in Lycandor Keep as I sat cross-legged on the plush carpet, reading a record about ancient plagues.

Since the Wolf King's departure for the western territories, Draven had moved his residence to the royal keep to better coordinate kingdom affairs and communications with the front lines. I had come to stay with him during these troubled times, both to provide support and to be closer to any news from Adelaide.

Three gentle raps on the oak door interrupted my brooding thoughts. A royal guard in silver-grey uniform stood at attention in the doorway, his expression unusually tense. "Lady Thalia, Lord Draven requests your immediate presence. It concerns something sent from the western borders."

My heart lurched. I hastily smoothed my skirts and followed the guard through the winding stone corridors and spiral staircases of the keep. My heart hammered against my ribs as we approached the royal archives.

When I pushed open the heavy oak doors, Draven was waiting for me. The moment he saw me enter, he crossed the room in quick strides and pulled me into his arms without hesitation, his strong hands settling firmly on my waist before drawing me close. He buried his face in the curve of my neck, and I felt him inhale deeply, as if my presence alone could ease the burdens weighing on his shoulders.

"Thalia," he murmured against my skin, his voice carrying a weariness that he would only allow me to witness.

I wrapped my arms around him, my fingers threading through his dark hair as I held him close. "You haven't been sleeping," I observed softly, noting the dark circles under his eyes and the stubble covering his jaw when he finally pulled back to look at me. His hands remained on my waist, anchoring himself.

"The situation at the borders..." he began, then gestured toward the table where the crystal vial waited. "This arrived from the front lines. The situation is far more complex than we initially believed."

It was a crystal vial containing several white, spherical objects that floated in clear liquid. Even through the glass, those objects emanated a disturbing biological quality, like some creature's eggs.

I approached the table cautiously, my fingertips barely grazing the crystal surface. "These are...?"

After he explained to me the discovery of the insect eggs and their peculiarities, I lifted the crystal vial carefully, holding it up to the light for closer examination. The eggs' surfaces bore extremely fine markings—unnatural geometric patterns that looked almost like carved runes rather than natural formations.

"These markings... they're not naturally occurring," I murmured, my voice trembling slightly with the implications of my discovery. "They remind me of certain ancient cursed symbols, though I can't recall seeing exactly these patterns in any magical texts."

Draven's hand tightened slightly around my waist, his voice tinged with vulnerability. "Thalia, I don't know what to do. The 'Hungry Ones' infestation is spreading rapidly, and we need answers soon."

I embraced him, offering silent support and comfort. "We will find answers," I assured him, my blue eyes meeting his with determination. "I promise you that."

At midnight, my footsteps softly echoed in the silent hall, each sound seemingly amplified in the stillness. I wrapped my deep blue cloak tightly around me and headed to the archive, clutching several heavy tomes to my chest.

The two guards stationed at the archive entrance immediately stepped forward as I approached, their silver armor glinting in the torchlight. "Lady Thalia, what brings you here at this late hour?" one inquired respectfully, though his tone carried a note of wariness.

I maintained a calm smile, allowing carefully calculated fatigue to color my voice. "Lord Draven has requested that I research ancient plague texts, hoping to find clues for combating the insect infestation." I held up the books in my arms. "I've been studying these in my chambers, but I need to cross-reference them with additional materials in the archives."

The guards exchanged a glance before nodding and stepping aside. "Lord Draven did indeed issue orders for full support of the research effort. Please proceed, Lady Thalia, but do notify us when you're ready to leave."

The archive door opened with a heavy groan, and I stepped into the stillness beyond. The air was thick with the scent of ancient parchment and magical preservatives. My gaze immediately sought the glass cabinet in the corner—there sat the crystal vial with its ominous contents, gleaming with that unsettling opalescent sheen.

Moving quickly to the door, I whispered a sound-dampening spell to ensure the guards couldn't hear what transpired within, then carefully retrieved the crystal vial and placed it on the central table. After a quick glance around to confirm I was alone, I drew the necessary materials for a prophetic ritual from a hidden pocket within my cloak.

Taking a deep breath, I began preparing the divination ceremony. From my pouch, I withdrew a specially crafted silver basin, filling it with blessed spring water I'd prepared earlier, then added a few drops of moonlight powder and a pinch of rainbow butterfly wing dust. As the liquid began to shimmer with an ethereal blue-purple radiance, I softly chanted the ancient prophetic incantations, my fingers tracing complex runic patterns in the air.

"Through the mists of time and space, reveal the light of truth. Guide me to explore unknown mysteries, unveil hidden secrets..." My voice flowed like a gentle stream, carrying an ancient wisdom that transcended my years. As the spell deepened, the liquid in the silver basin began spinning violently, forming a miniature vortex that radiated increasingly intense silver-blue light.

Carefully, I used silver tweezers to extract one of the eggs from the crystal vial and lowered it into the swirling liquid. Instantly, the entire room blazed with blinding light as the prophetic waters projected the egg's secrets in the form of visions hovering in the air—beneath a blood-red sky, countless bats circled while a black-robed figure stood on the ground below, a hood concealing their feature as they wielded a staff crackling with purple-black energy, surrounded by thousands of black beetles...

As the vision faded, I collapsed into a chair, my face pale and cold sweat beading on my forehead. With trembling hands, I recorded the information gleaned from the prophecy: "Cursed insects... products of ancient vampire magic... parasites that devour life essence... buried in specific seven-pointed star formations to drain the energy of water sources and soil within a hundred-mile radius, enabling rapid reproduction..."

Most importantly, I had discovered the method to combat these vile creatures—four sacred materials were required: eternal spring water from the summit of the holy mountain, moon flower petals that bloomed only under moonlight, the first feather shed when a phoenix was reborn from flames, and tears of compassion shed by a pure elf.

These four materials, mixed in specific proportions and infused into purification arrays opposite to those used for burying the eggs, could completely eliminate the cursed insects and all their spawn.

Quickly gathering my notes, I carefully returned the egg to its crystal vial and restored everything to its original position. I wiped the perspiration from my brow, my heart racing with the magnitude of my discovery. What disturbed me most was what I'd seen in the vision—that black-robed figure was a vampire, an ancient race supposedly nearly extinct three centuries ago, now apparently returning with this insidious form of attack.

I gathered my divination tools, restored the room to its original state, picked up several innocuous books as a pretense, then dispelled the sound barrier and signaled to the guards that I was ready to leave.

My steps quickened as urgency drove me forward. I needed to get word to Draven and Adelaide before it was too late. The thought of my lover and my dearest friend facing such ancient evil without knowledge of what she truly confronted sent ice through my veins.