The Shadow Kingdom

Chapter 29 - Spoils Of War

In hindsight, I am actually glad Octavia did not get her wish. Chateau Elena will make one hell of a prize. The main entrance leads to a stone imperial staircase with an archway opening on each side. The staircase bifurcates and leads to the upper level, which overlooks a grand stateroom that could pass for a cathedral.

The building has stood here for centuries, unseen by human eyes. When I walk through the main entrance for the first time, I see what William meant when he mentioned my birthright. House Ashcroft has existed for over two thousand years, and its history is written in these hallowed walls.

Ageless monuments of all my ancestors adorn the walls. Throughout the Hundred Year's War, House Ashcroft had a secret presence in England and France. During the Battle of Agincourt, both the Plantagenets and the Valois had soldiers whose true allegiance was to Maria Ashcroft, matriarch of House Ashcroft at the time. Some of King Henry V's longbowmen were actually aircasters, and it was because of her intervention that the English achieved an impossible victory. I like to think that I take after her.

High up on the south wall, there is an inspiring stained-glass portrait of a woman whom I have been told is Elena Ashcroft. She was very beautiful; Selena wasn't lying when she said she takes after her mother. Elena's sickness could have been a turning point in history. If Adrian had healed her, then that could have been the first step in building a true peace between these two houses. Instead, William and Augustus allowed all this unnecessary bloodshed to happen for the sake of testosterone poisoning.

I put my eye against the retinal scanner in the basement, and the doors that once trapped me now open like loyal subjects, greeting their new queen. As of now, Augustus Shang is in absolute control of the Isle of Wight. All Prometheus forces on the island have either retreated or been destroyed. To avoid capture, all their soldiers were given cyanide capsules to use in the event that they were cornered. William had one too, but our soldiers put a round in his shoulder before he could take it.

All the prisoners have either been released or buried. As of now, only one specimen remains. "I hope you find your lodging suitable." I taunt William as he sulks quietly inside his glass prison. They stitched up his bullet wound and covered it with gauze, but they didn't give him any of Adrian's blood to heal. Making William comfortable is not one of my priorities. "It is only right that we prepare accommodations befitting a king."

I saunter proudly, running my finger along the glass wall. This exam room is the largest in the building. It was used when the test subjects were forced to fight one another in supernatural cockfights. It is appropriate to house an animal like William in such a place.

"You truly are a bastard." William glowers. He is staring at the wall, refusing to meet my gaze. "And to think, I could have saved myself all this trouble if I had just worn the rubber nineteen years ago."

"You brought this on yourself." I place both my palms on the glass and glare at the dethroned king with the eyes of a wolf. "Augustus is the only reason you are even alive. If I had my choice, I would burn you at the stake."

William's head turns slowly to face me in a way that reminds me of Andrea. He chuckles, and it makes me imagine all the ways that I could turn those laughs into screams. "You really are that stupid, aren't you?" William stands up to face me eye-to-eye from the other side of the glass. "Augustus has been playing you since day one." I squint my eyes, bracing myself for whatever desperate lie he has concocted. "He and his son turned you against us. You're just a pawn in his war!"

"You turned me against you!" The wolf bares its teeth, yearning to tear its prey limb from limb. "It happened the day you sent three men to kill Alex and me."