Chapter 70: Thornvale promise
The great hall of Thornvale Palace silenced Anna more effectively than anything in her twenty-three years of life had managed to accomplish. Her eyes darted everywhere at once, trying to absorb the impossible architecture surrounding them.
The ceiling soared impossibly high, vaulted with living branches that seemed to breathe with the rhythm of some ancient heartbeat. The walls shimmered with a strange iridescence that changed colors when viewed from different angles—emerald from one position, sapphire from another, amethyst from yet another. Scattered throughout the hall were floating platforms of earth where attendants worked, moving between them with practiced ease.
’I’ve never seen anything so beautiful in my life,’ Anna thought, her normally quick tongue temporarily stunned into silence.
The Lens twins escorted them down the long walkway toward the dais where Queen Elena sat. Unlike the wild rumors of a twelve-foot monster with a wolf’s head, the Queen of Thornvale was strikingly elegant. Her silver hair cascaded over one shoulder, adorned with small white flowers that seemed to bloom and wither in cycles, only to bloom again moments later. Her crown was indeed intimidating as Elira had mentioned—not for its size, but for the way the silver spikes seemed to catch light that wasn’t there.
Beside the queen stood Commander Maria, her posture rigid and her eyes watchful. Her armor was unlike anything worn in the Moonlight Kingdom—plates of what appeared to be living wood molded perfectly to her form, shifting subtly with each breath. A scar ran from her left temple to the corner of her mouth, giving her a perpetually stern expression.
As they approached, Elena’s voice cut through the silence, addressing someone Anna couldn’t see. "You’re certain of this? The exact words?"
A messenger bowed low before the dais. "Yes, Your Majesty. ’The Veilwalker vanished into the shadow.’ That was the message from our scouts at the border."
Queen Elena stood suddenly, her movement so abrupt that several attendants flinched. "That cannot be possible," she said, her voice carrying a weight of dread that made Anna’s skin prickle. "Not again. Not after all this time."
The queen’s fists clenched at her sides, the flowers in her hair wilting all at once. "Every precaution was taken. Every sign watched for. How could we have missed this?"
Commander Maria stepped forward, her voice low enough that Anna had to strain to hear. "My Queen, if what they say is true, then this confirms our worst fears. The binding magic—"
"I know what it means," Elena snapped, then immediately softened. "Forgive me, Maria. This news... it brings back memories I had hoped were buried forever."