Stone Sacrifice ✔️Chronicles of Grey BOOK ONE [COMPLETED]

Chapter Thirty-Two

A/N: oops, I lied. TWO more chapters, plus an epilogue lol. Happy reading!

"Quickly, my love, we must move quickly."

"Shh, Eron, do not wake her. Not now." I looked at the child in my arms. So peaceful. So innocent.

A voice from the doorway. "Your majesties, they're at the gates."

"Keira, my love, we must go..."

Tears slipped down my cheeks but I nodded, letting my husband wrap his arm protectively over my shoulders as we rushed out the door into the corridor, babe snuggled into my breast, oblivious to the horror that was coming.

"Tori, where's Jovian?" The king was asking.

"Im here, Eron." Jovian ran up next to us, taking his place on my other side as we turned into the hidden door in the wall, though it would not remain hidden for long.

"Remember what we discussed? She cannot use her magic. Not ever. Not until she is ready to fight. And, oh kraken, Jovian, don't let her go into the Black Mountains without someone worthy at her side. A Shadow. Be sure its a Shadow. And her marks, you need to be sure it stays hidden as she grows or—"

"I know, my friend. We've spoken of this at length." Jovian reminded him, attempting to quell the worry.

We entered a small room, seemingly useless it was, except for the hidden passage out. I bent, my daughter still in my arms and pressed the correct stones one at a time with a shaking hand as the men kept speaking.

"Be sure she knows about the Grey Stone, how it cannot harm her specifically. She needs to know that if she's to defeat Carigus. No. Marqis. Make sure she doesn't fight Carigus Beoworth, wait until he's dead and his boy takes his place as king. She needs to know the Stone will refuse to harm her blood. If it's forced to, it will crumble and we don't know what would happen then. I suspect it will kill all of the bloodlines but... no, don't tell her that. If I'm wrong she'll sacrifice herself, if she's anything like her mother."

"I am not sacrificing myself." I said firmly, finally standing as the wall slipped inward.

He took my arms. "You should be with our daughter."

"The Stone knows my touch. Carigus will find me in mere days. It's you who should go."

"I cannot pass the boarders." He swallowed tears and bent, kissing Meira on the forehead. Then he let out a breath and turned, pulling out ink and placing it on the table next to the parchment. "I should have had this done already, but I thought we had more time... what can I say to her? What could I..." His eyes were struck with sorrow and guilt. "We've failed her, Keira, we've failed them all."

I put a hand on his shoulder as the sound of a crack echoed from the slit of the window, a sign the gates were breaking. "Say what needs to be said. Jovian will tell her of our love and who we were, just write what she needs to know." Another crack. "Quickly, Eron."

I removed my hand to shift my daughter up closer, hoping the sound of the gates did not wake her. I turned to Jovian who was bundling his mage robe and putting it into a sack so none would take note of him missing. I smiled, if briefly.

"It's been a long time since I saw you without that robe on, Jo."

Jovian returned the smile best he could, though at that moment we heard the cracking of the castle gates. They would be entering the castle itself soon, and all would be done. "Probably back when I was a knight for your father." He put the sack over his shoulder then took mine, like he had when I was a little girl and he needed to tell me something important. "I will protect her, Keira. And I'll teach her how to protect herself as well. Do not worry for her in your last moments."