Noah was trying to sleep in his room when all the windows in the mansion shattered at once. The sound was so loud that he curled up in fear and let out a scream. Soon after, the house was filled with shouting and hurried footsteps. In a panic, Noah couldn't decide whether to stay in bed or try to hide, when his father stormed into the room. Noah quickly tried to retreat further on the bed. He was stammering apologies, though he didn't even know what he was apologizing for. His father, however, grabbed his trembling son and, with haste, carried him through the secret passage toward the bedroom.
As they were about to pass through the door that appeared to be a mirror from the outside, they realized that the room was already filling with men. His stepmother was sending his younger brother down through another secret door to keep him safe. As Noah stared outside in terror, his father's hand suddenly clamped over his mouth, and he was roughly spun around. The sudden movement startled Noah so much that he tried to scream again, but because his father's hand was covering his mouth, only a muffled moan came out, which only his father could hear. His father pressed on his broken arm and harshly whispered, "Shut up!" With tears filling his eyes and struggling to breathe through his father's hand, The seven-year-old silently obeyed his father.
His father took out a flaming-knife in his other hand, and held it against the throat of his seven-year-old son, taking a deep breath before rushing toward his wife at the door. Men had already begun flooding into the room. Cole held the knife even closer to Noah's throat and shouted, "Don't come any closer! Or I'll kill the boy!" This threat momentarily caused everyone to freeze. Niamh took advantage of the lull to slip downstairs. At that moment, one of the Ülgen, Alexander Drake, cautiously stepped forward and opened his mouth to speak. But his voice was drowned out by Noah's scream of pain as Cole pressed the flaming-knife into his shoulder. "I said don't come closer!" Cole shouted again, once more holding the knife to Noah's throat.
Alexander paused briefly, and this time, he spoke again in a calmer tone: "Listen, calm down. Don't hurt the boy..." But Cole responded by pressing the knife to Noah's cheek, causing him to scream out once again. The small boy was crying, struggling, and trying to break free from Cole's grip. "Stay back! Don't come near!" Cole snarled, now focusing his attention on Nathaniel Drake, who had just entered the room and was held back from attacking by his brother. The fury on Nathaniel's face was terrifying, and though Cole tried to hide it, he was truly afraid of this man.
Cole pulled the knife from Noah's cheek and held it back to his throat, leaving the boy gasping for breath. "Stay back!" he repeated, dragging his son toward the trapdoor that led to the basement. When they reached the door, Cole, with a swift motion, hurled the knife and set a ring of fire around them before plunging down through the trapdoor with Noah in tow.
As soon as they landed in the chamber below, Niamh, with a flick of her wrist, sealed the door above them. She held her three-year-old son in her arms, while her other hand was firmly gripping the hair of the young girl who had caused all this chaos. Noah noticed the girl's bloody nose and swollen eye—she had already been punished. The girl, in turn, saw the fresh burn on Noah's face. Both children exchanged silent glances, recognizing the approaching danger. Just then, Cole rose to his knees, grabbed Noah by the collar, and yanked him to his feet. "Listen!" he bellowed. "You will buy us time! Even if it costs your life, you will protect us! Don't you dare betray us! If anything happens to one of us, I will kill you. Do you understand me?!"
Noah was frozen in terror, unable to respond. In response, his father delivered such a hard punch to his face that Noah tasted blood in his mouth. Had his father not been holding him up with his other hand, he would have crumpled to the floor. "I asked if you understood!" his father shouted. The terrified boy managed a slight nod. Cole was about to release him and stand up when Nathaniel Drake and several Ülgen burst into the chamber. Nathaniel was ready to strike but froze when he saw the girl in Niamh's grasp. "Stop!" he shouted, halting everyone. For the first time in years, there was fear in his voice. Niamh noticed this and yanked the girl closer by her hair, speaking in a dangerous voice: "Don't even think about it..."
Nathaniel tore his eyes from his terrified daughter and looked at the woman using the five-year-old girl as a shield. The rage on his face was unlike anything anyone had seen, and even Niamh felt her fear outweigh her anger. "My child!" Nathaniel snarled. "My daughter..." but he couldn't finish the sentence. Niamh quickly regained her composure, raising her hand in a threatening gesture, and her husband mimicked her movement. "Did you really think there would be no consequences for murdering my father?" she hissed, spitting the words with venom.
Nathaniel's gaze briefly flicked back to his daughter Aurora. The sight of his little girl in this state, if possible, hardened his expression even further. Niamh glanced around the room one last time and realized that everything was nearly over. The mansion's location had been discovered, everybody learned that the girl was alive, and it became known that she had kidnapped her—all of their plans had unraveled. She shared a brief look with her husband, and an understanding passed between them. With a furious shout, Niamh caused the walls of the room to explode, sending debris crashing down on their enemies. Cole roughly waved his hand, spreading fire to every corner of the chamber. Most of the Ülgen raised their protective barriers, while Nathaniel charged forward, summoning a bolt of lightning that shattered the debris as he sent himself toward his daughter.
Just as he was about to reach her, Cole threw his son like a rag doll at Nathaniel. Taking advantage of the ensuing chaos, he ran toward his wife, shouting to Noah, "Don't you dare make a mistake!" Grabbing his wife's hand, he cast one last, but for the first time a worried glance at his injured and exhausted seven-year-old son. Noah, paralyzed by fear and helpless, could only look at them with tear-filled eyes. But then Cole quickly turned around and unleashed the flames one last time, setting the entire mansion ablaze. He sent his wife, himself, their younger son, and Aurora far away from the mansion.
As they escaped, Noah forgot all his father's threats and, crying, lunged toward his father and Aurora alongside the enraged Nathaniel. But neither her father nor the only friend who had ever cared for her reached Aurora Drake that day.
Finally, the first "real" chapter is therreee😮💨 I don't know why, but I really feel relieved now 😅 So, what did you think of the chapter? What did you like? What should I improve? I would really appreciate it if we could discuss a bit in the comments. :)
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Heirs Of War (English)
Fantasy"No, this war isn't about me; the one who truly matters is my father. The only reason this conflict moves through us is because I am his daughter, and because you are close to me. We are his weakness," Aurora said, straightening herself as she met b...
