Chapter 43 – The Crimson Council's Verdict
The light of dawn bled across the marble floor of the castle's western tower, illuminating the royal seal etched into the stone—now subtly altered. A faint, glowing sigil had appeared overnight, one neither Liam nor Ella remembered placing. It pulsed with the same energy that had sealed Valen. The castle itself was changing.
Ella stood over it, arms crossed, her mind racing. Liam entered the chamber behind her, dressed in a newly tailored dark coat that Velis insisted reflected his evolving station. His gait was more confident, though his eyes held the same wary curiosity.
"What's it mean?" he asked, nodding to the sigil.
"I'm not sure," Ella replied. "But it's bound to us. The blood contract continues to evolve."
Maelin entered behind them, flanked by a courier dressed in Crimson Council robes. The courier bowed stiffly, his face unreadable.
"Message from Lord Seridan of the Crimson Council," Maelin announced.
Ella took the scroll and broke the seal. Her crimson eyes flickered as she read, then narrowed.
"They've summoned us to the Crimson Hold. We're to present ourselves by nightfall."
"Sounds like a trial," Liam said.
"It is," Ella confirmed. "But not just for me. They've named you co-sovereign under the contract. You're being judged, too."
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The journey to the Crimson Hold was silent, tense. Even the horses seemed aware of the gravity. Liam stared out from the carriage window as hills bled into forests and forests into bleak mountains. Thunder rumbled above, though no storm followed.
The Crimson Hold was carved into the side of a bloodstone mountain. Its spires looked less like architecture and more like teeth. Guards with halberds dipped in silver escorted Liam and Ella through crimson-stained halls into the main chamber.
There, thirteen thrones stood in a circle, each occupied by a vampire lord or lady. At the center of the circle, a sigil blazed on the floor—identical to the one that had appeared in their castle.
"Queen Ellarion," Lord Seridan intoned. "And her... consort."
Liam suppressed a flinch.
"We are here to decide whether the bond you have created through the Blood Contract endangers the Realm of Night."
Ella held her chin high. "The bond saved this realm. We sealed the Ancient One, and ended a rebellion before it began."
Another lord, whose eyes shimmered gold, scoffed. "You claim peace, but you broke every ancestral law. A human bound to royal blood? Madness."
Liam stepped forward. "That 'madness' gave you a chance to sit there today. If Valen had returned fully, we'd be ashes."
Murmurs rose. Some of the council members eyed Liam with new scrutiny. Others with contempt.
Seridan raised his hand. "The law is not swayed by heroism. We must examine the effects of the bond."
A ritual circle formed around Liam and Ella. Sigils blazed as magic probed at their bloodlines.
A sudden tremor shook the chamber. The circle flared—and then collapsed.
Gasps.
"The contract... rejected our scrutiny," one elder murmured.
Liam looked at Ella. "What does that mean?"
Ella turned to the council. "It means the contract is no longer just between us. It's bonded to the realm. Our fates are linked to its balance."
A pause. Then Seridan stood.
"Then the verdict is this: you may rule—but under watch. A Warden of the Council shall live in your court. If the bond endangers the realm, we will act."
Ella nodded. "Acceptable."
Liam raised an eyebrow but said nothing.
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That night, back in the castle, they were not alone. A tall woman dressed in bone-white robes stood by the entrance to the throne room.
"I am Warden Althaea," she said, bowing. "The eyes of the Council, and now—your guest."
Ella exchanged a glance with Liam. "Then welcome to our court."
But Liam could feel it—the tension in the air, the new weight on his shoulders. The game had shifted again. Not with fangs or steel—but with politics, secrets, and surveillance.
And someone, somewhere, had just made a move.
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End of Chapter 43
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