Semua Bab The Blood Bound Legacy: Bab 91 - Bab 100

The evening continued, weighed down by smoke and fatigue. None of us talked as we trudged more profoundly into the woods, deep breaths audible in the stillness. The fight was over, but the heaviness, the weight of it clung to me like a hand on my ribs, a fist.We had gotten away, but not because we were stronger. Not because we had won.We were free because he set us free.That idea was seared into my brain, repeating over and over again, only to contort into something that made me nauseous.Maxwell walked next to me, trudging slower than normal, his hand shoved against his injured side. He winced every couple of steps, but he would pretend he was fine when I looked.“Stop glaring,” he muttered.“I’m not glaring.”He huffed a laugh. “You have that look. The one in which you’re blaming yourself for things that aren’t your fault.”I was blaming myself. How could I not?I had led them into this. I had thought we were ready. That we could fight. That we had a chance.Instead, I had only b

This was a matter of destroying them.I turned to the people standing before me—my people. Each of them had put everything on the line to stand with me and fight a fight that was no longer mine. And yet I could see it in their faces. The gravity of what we were about to do. The reality of it sinking in.Bastian blew out a breath and rubbed a hand over his face. “So you mean to tell me. Our objective is to infiltrate one of the most secure vaults ever built, steal their secrets, and then... what? Pray they don’t just kill us right away?”Jameson smiled, raising his arms behind his head. “I mean, that’s probably about right.”Soraya shot him a glare. “That’s not a plan. That’s suicide.”Maxwell moved next to me, his golden eyes fixed on the flames. “The Council’s greatest weapon isn’t their army. It’s the illusion of control. People don’t rebel against them, because they think it can’t be done. They think the Council is omnipotent, above all.”I nodded, my throat tight. “But if we can p

The world around me blurred. The room, the firelight dancing in the stone walls, the heavy weight of my father’s words like a stifling fog spreading over me — none of it felt real anymore.She’s not your mother anymore.They broke her.They made her a weapon.I heard the words, but couldn’t process them. I didn’t want to.She was alive. I had seen her. I had touched her. Her voice had broken when she said my name, and her body had quaked when I held her. That wasn’t a mindless puppet’s response. That was real. That was her.And yet…My father had never been a liar, A survivor, a man who always kept an eye on the bigger picture, but not a liar.So , which truth was I meant to believe?“No, you’re wrong,” I whispered, my throat raw.My father didn’t react. He just stood there, shoulders squared, expression grim, as if he’d been waiting for me to say that.“Lena — ” Maxwell began, and I shook my head.“No.” I looked at my father, my hands balling into fists. “You don’t know her the way I

It was a quiet night, but inside me, a storm was raging. Sleep would not come, and with it, I was alone with my thoughts and the horror of what was to come. It was a momentary resort to my senses in the dimly lit study, a candle flickered on the desk, casting long shadows around the wide room.The house was silent. Everyone had either gone to bed or was pretending to be. I knew better. Maxwell was probably pacing in his room, his annoyance barely held in check. My father was awake, too, though he’d never say so. He never slept when things were in flux, and nothing was in greater flux right now than what tomorrow might hold.A knock on the door interrupted my thoughts. I looked back, expecting to see Maxwell or my father; it was my mother. Her gaze was sharp but unreadable, and she entered without asking.“You need to be resting,” she replied.“So should you.”She closed the door behind her with a sigh. “I know what you’re thinking.“Do you?”She didn’t reply right away. Instead, she c

The night air was thick with tension as I stepped into the courtyard. Maxwell stood waiting, his expression set in grim determination. Behind him, a handful of trusted allies—faces I had fought beside, bled with—stood in the shadows, waiting for my word.I exhaled slowly, steadying myself. “Tell me everything.”Maxwell nodded. “We’re going to the vault beneath the Blackwood estate. That’s where they kept her body, sealed away so no one could reach her. The Council thinks they’re the only ones who know how to break the enchantments surrounding it, but they’re wrong.”I narrowed my eyes. “How?”Maxwell smirked, but there was no humor in it. “Because I stole the key.”I blinked. “You what?”He pulled a small, ancient-looking talisman from his coat pocket. The sigils carved into it pulsed faintly, reacting to the magic in the air.“Wasn’t easy,” he admitted. “But let’s just say the Council isn’t as careful as they think they are.”I ran a hand through my hair. “You’re insane.”“Probably.”