Throne of Ash and Shadows

Chapter 12 Vlad Vasiliev

The chill of the night breeze slipped through the cracks in the window, sending a shiver down my spine. Something was wrong. The air felt heavy, thick with a tension that clung to my skin like damp fog. I knew then that time was running out. I needed to get Katya out of here, and soon. It was clear now that reasoning with her wouldn't be enough. She was still under Ometz's spell, trapped by whatever charm he'd woven around her. She wouldn't come willingly.

I sat at the candlelit desk, papers spread before me, the flickering light casting long shadows across the room. Seren, one of the Caldorian generals I'd managed to befriend, had been feeding me information for weeks. Reports of dark magic, whispers of strange happenings at the borders of Caldoria, where the ancient forces stirred. The kind of magic that threatened to tear our world apart. I'd been planning my escape, studying every report, every map, trying to anticipate where this new war would erupt. But the enemy remained elusive. We didn't know what we were dealing with. Not yet.

I flipped through the reports, eyes skimming over names and alliances. Ometz had been gathering support from smaller kingdoms, those not yet allied with Avernia. They would follow him blindly, lured by promises of power and protection. But they didn't see the truth. They didn't see what I had seen.

A sudden knock on the door jolted me from my thoughts. I quickly folded the papers, stuffing them into my boots as I rose to answer. "Levi?" I whispered, staring into the familiar eyes of my best friend, the general of Avernia's army. His expression was serious, his finger pressed to his lips in a silent command for quiet. I narrowed my eyes in suspicion, watching as he lifted his hands and began signing.

"It's me, dumbass. I'm here to save you, prince."

I couldn't help but smile despite the weight of the situation. Levi was always direct, even in the face of danger. I nodded, quickly gathering the remaining papers and slipping them into my boots. When I opened the door wider, I saw Seren standing guard outside, his sharp eyes scanning the corridor. He gave me a brief nod of approval.

I straightened my suit and signed back to Levi, "We need to get Katya."

Levi's brow furrowed in confusion, his hands forming a rapid reply. "Katya's dead."

I shook my head, turning down the corridor toward the library where I knew she would be. "I found her. She's alive."

Levi's eyes widened, but there was no time to explain. I hurried toward the library, Levi and Seren following closely behind, their footsteps quiet against the cold stone floors. The castle felt eerily silent, the only sound the soft rustling of fabric and the distant murmur of guards.

When we reached the library, I paused at the door, taking a deep breath. Inside, Katya sat by the window, her nose buried in a book, the moonlight casting a soft glow on her face. She looked peaceful, as if the weight of our world wasn't pressing down on her shoulders. But I knew better. She was caught between two worlds—ours and Ometz's.

"Sister," I called softly as I stepped inside, motioning for Levi and Seren to wait. Katya's head snapped up, her eyes immediately locking onto mine, reading my thoughts before I could say another word.

"Vlad," she said in a low, warning tone. The book slipped from her hands and clattered to the floor, forgotten. She stood, her body tense, ready for whatever was about to happen.

"Katya, don't make this hard," I whispered, taking a slow step forward. Her gaze flickered past me to where Levi and Seren lingered in the shadows, and I saw the flicker of fear in her eyes.

She shook her head, her voice trembling. "Please, Vlad. Go. Save yourself. I don't need saving. You've done enough of that already."

I clenched my jaw, refusing to listen to the lies she had convinced herself to believe. Ometz had twisted her mind, and I couldn't let her fall any deeper into his web. I reached out, taking another step toward her.