Page 28 of The Throne Seeker (Vallorian #1)

T hey charged up the steps leading to the crumbling rubble, its charred stones entwined with thick vines and overgrown moss.

Gaps gaped in the towering walls, letting a few hazy streaks of sunlight sneak through the pillars.

A damp mist hovered in the cool air, clinging to her clothing.

They needed to search the deserted castle quickly; they might have had a lead, but Grant and his men would undoubtedly be close behind.

“We’ll split up.” Tristan faced Roman and Zareb. “You both stay here with the men and guard the main entrance to buy us time. Rose and I will look for the relic.”

Roman and Zareb didn’t argue, giving an obedient nod before they split up.

Together, she and Tristan navigated through the ruins, clambering up the deteriorating stairs.

Sacred—that’s what this place had always been.

These walls, which had once symbolized strength and unity, now only served as a painful history lesson—burned centuries ago when the dragons of old unleashed their wrath on Cathan.

She’d often stare at it during her adventures with Xavier and Tristan, though she had never once dared enter.

Rightfully so. The dead deserved peace, too.

Legend said the ghosts of the burned souls still lingered within their walls.

She believed it.

Only the echoes of their footsteps reached her ears as they searched the dreary halls, inspecting every room and surface they could find.

The sudden clash of swords drifted from outside.

Grant . Urgency drove her to move faster, frantically examining every crevice and hidden nook.

They were climbing the final staircase when a deep groan moaned from below, shifting the stone beneath her feet.

With little time to react, she sprinted up the remaining steps, with Tristan at her heels.

One second he was following her, and the next he wasn’t.

Tristan’s leg disappeared through the floor, alongside a large chunk of the staircase. He immediately grappled for a hold on the stairs, dangling from the gaping hole. He tried to lift himself, but the stone had swallowed his leg, pinning him and leaving a large gash on his upper thigh.

“Tristan!” She didn’t think twice before returning to retrieve him.

“No! Go,” he said through a sharp breath. “Go and find the relic before Grant does.”

Like hell. “Not without you.”

She tiptoed back down the steps, pausing when the rock groaned underneath her weight.

“Don’t,” he pleaded, trying to mask his pain. “Just go.”

“No,” she refused. She crouched down, cautiously distributing her weight as she extended her hand. “Me and you, remember?”

His blue eyes shone up at her like she was the sun relic itself. “Me and you,” he murmured. He grasped her hand with his, and she braced, about to pull him up?—

Grant materialized at the bottom of the stairs.

A slithering smirk played on his lips. “Well, well, look what we have here.” He widened his eyes dramatically at the two.

“Oh, don’t let me interrupt—I just need to get by, and then you two can continue to profess your love. ” He took a few steps up the stairs.

“Stop!” she warned. “You’ll make the whole thing collapse.”

Grant ignored the warning, continuing. The stone groaned again.

Acting quickly, she hauled Tristan upward, heaving with every ounce of strength she had as his leg finally came free, but in the process, a fresh, deep cut tore open his lower leg. Tristan hissed.

She draped his arm over her shoulders, helping him stand as they hobbled up the stairs, mindful to hug the wall as they did. Grant’s footsteps were gaining on them.

Just as she and Tristan reached the top, the stones groaned again and the ground shook. She checked back just in time to see Grant disappear with a cry.

They had no choice but to continue, inching their way down a dark, lengthy hallway. Rose bore what weight she could as Tristan limped beside her, a trail of blood running down his leg.

When she was sure they were safe, she let Tristan slump against the wall. “Are you okay? Let me see.” She went to crouch down to get a better look at his gash.

Tristan stopped her, shaking his head as he breathed heavily. “No. I’ll be fine, let’s keep going. I don’t want any more surprises.”

She didn’t argue as she draped his arm back over her shoulders, shuffling their way down the rest of the dark hallway.

Finally, they came upon what she could only assume was the old throne room.

The ceiling had all but collapsed, letting the sun pour its light onto the timeworn stone throne at the heart of the room.

A lone, rusted, cobweb-covered, full-length mirror sat in the corner, shrouded in a thick layer of dust.

This place felt… familiar somehow, like a remnant of a long-lost memory. She gazed upon the throne, feeling a ghostly breeze in the air as something stirred inside her. It tugged at her like an invisible string, like… like it was supposed to be hers.

The sun relic was nowhere in sight.

She left Tristan near the entrance and quickly began searching the room, examining each pillar, searching under every stone, scanning the scorched remnants of the throne. Nothing. Her throat bobbed.

“It’s not here,” she whispered, letting her hand slide off the dusty throne.

“That’s impossible,” Tristan said, limping over to help her look. “It has to be here.”

She glanced back at the crumbled staircase entrance. Grant hadn’t discovered it either. Or maybe he just assumed it wasn’t there because they had yet to find it. But soon enough, Emmett and Dawnton would arrive to add to the chaos, and they’d have a brawl on their hands.

She muttered a curse under her breath. Perhaps they had looked too hastily. Perhaps she had?—

A subtle multicolored glow caught her eye, like an invisible bubble or force field hovering above the throne.

A glamour. She remembered them from her studies on magical artifacts.

A form of old magic wielded long before she was born.

They must have discovered something to create the glamour, but what?

She swept her eyes over her surroundings again, seeing if?—

Of course!

She marched straight up to the aged mirror. Using her sleeve, she wiped away the dust to unveil a bright reflection. Her eyes combed the image, examining it. She spotted a tiny sparkle. There, hanging off the half-charred stone throne, was the relic.

Her mouth broke into a triumphant smile. “Tristan!”

She helped drag him over to see for himself. His eyes filled with awe, looking back and forth between the reflection and the stone throne. “How in Vallor did you know?”

“I saw the glamour, and I remembered our lessons about enchanted objects.”

Tristan’s lips grazed the top of her head. “You are brilliant , Rose. Brilliant.”

She didn’t disagree, shrugging with a proud grin.

The pair didn’t waste a moment as she supported Tristan over to the weathered throne.

“Together?” Tristan said with a conquering smile.

“Together,” she agreed.

At the same time, they stretched out their hands, grasping the relic as it materialized.