Chapter 151 : Hestia’s Lair
*Jared*
King Xander sent me an order to gather a team and clear out the Dark Forest.
I got Archer and Brandt together, along with many of my most trusted warriors, and we headed into the forest.
It was supposedly where Hestia's lair was, but all the searching we'd done in the forest before her death led to absolutely nothing.
Xander hoped that this time, it would be different. If nothing else, we could get rid of any lingering rogues or witches that were still hanging around, hopeful for Hestia's return.
The Dark Forest was crowded with old, thick trees that groaned in the wind.
My heart raced as I stepped onto the path. The air felt so close and heavy between the trees. I felt like there was a weight crushing down on me. The canopy was so dense that hardly any light got through, making the forest dark and eerie.
I had no idea what to expect within the forest. There was dark magic there, and rumors of terrifying beasts.
I could tell that my men were tense. Whenever the wind rustled dry leaves or a gnarled, twisted tree trunk groaned, they whipped around, brandishing their weapons.
Thick vines twisted around the tree trunks, making them look deformed, and some of them even looked like hunched-over people in the distance.
The shadows started playing tricks on us within seconds.
“Jared, there's a clearing up ahead," Archer spoke.
We all froze. His voice sounded so loud and harsh in the quiet, creepy forest.
“We'll start there, even if just to get a glimpse of sunlight. It might take the edge off." I nodded and took the lead, heading down the path to the clearing.
If I thought my mind would ease from entering the clearing, I was sorely mistaken....
Rising up from the center of the clearing was a tall, dark tower that blocked out the sun. It was a single spire, rising up into the sky, made of black stone. There was one door and no windows that I could see.
I tilted my head back and could barely see the top of the tower in the glare of the sun.
“This wasn't here before," I murmured, feeling my brows furrow.
What horrors were hidden in this tower?
“This must be Hestia's lair," Archer suggested.
I nodded and walked up the steps to the door. I knocked, and a loud echo rippled through the inside of the tower.
“It's possible that Hestia cloaked it with her magic, so we couldn't see it before."
“Killing her broke the spell," Archer continued.
“Everyone, on guard. This tower could be booby-trapped. Expect anything!" I ordered.
The men quickly took up a perimeter around the tower and stood at the ready.
“If her cloaking magic is gone, any protection spells she cast might be too," Archer pointed out.
“I'm not taking any chances. It doesn't take magic to put in booby traps and protect a secret lair."
I reached for the doorknob but Archer stopped me.
“Let me."
door. I held my breath, waiting for some strange trap to trigger. I was ready to pull Archer out of the way in a second if I had
another echoing sound
took a step back and held the hilt of
until the echoing stopped.
seems safe," Archer
with me." I pointed to several guards. “The
Brandt, and I went into the tower with several other warriors
and keep alert. Don't touch anything. If you find
nodded and
the
there were a few rooms on the first floor and then a spiral staircase that went all the way up through the tower. It must have led to other
wanted to secure the first
in here!" Brandt called to
up
center of the room was a mound of moonstones. They shimmered in the dim light… so many moonstones of all shapes and sizes
so many moonstones,"
the room and found an old grimoire splayed open on
bring them back to the capital," I suggested as
up the moonstones, I flipped through the ancient pages. Most of it was written in another language. I recognized a few words that indicated this book held all the dark secrets of Hestia and Lycaon. Xander might have scholars
of the book that I
family tree of Hestia's bloodline, showing her
across the latest entries
alone here
“What do you mean?"
wail filled the
book. The cry echoed through the tower, a blood curdling scream. It tapered off into a
that
to a cobweb-covered tapestry on the wall.
and I tore the tapestry down, revealing
were two small beds. A boy and a girl, no more than five and six years old, were wrapped in
the grimoire in my hands. The children had wide,
they?"
grimoire again. “They're
of here." I snapped to
scooped the children up and
shipped to the palace. Stay alert and let me know of anything suspicious you find," I ordered as
course. I'll meet you back at the
made arrangements to get the children back to the castle with Eliza's
a healer and nursed back to health. Or… their danger levels
to the castle with the children, a new sense of
to happen
a father, my first instinct was to protect them and get the proper care. But was that the right thing to do? Were they dangerous? What kind of dark powers did they have? Did Hestia pass her darkness to
the case, these children had to be
do? Should we punish them because of who
Lena will do the right
their father might
children to the infirmary and
bring Hestia's children back to my palace?"
Well, word traveled fast.
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