The hunt for the crown had officially begun. Kaelen marched through the threshold of the throne room while his boots crushed the shards of expensive crystal scattered on the floor.
"Seal the secret passages and let no one escape this hall," Kaelen commanded with a voice that echoed like a death knell.
The shadows behind him surged forward and blocked every hidden exit with walls of absolute darkness. The nobles who were once laughing now huddled together like frightened sheep in a thunderstorm.
"This is madness and you will be executed for this treason!" Duke Alaric shouted while waving his jewel encrusted cane.
Kaelen turned his gaze toward the duke and felt the darkness in his blood hum with a violent energy. He raised his hand and a shadow soldier instantly appeared behind the trembling noble.
"The time for talking has passed and the time for payment is here," Kaelen said as the shadow blade touched the duke's neck.
Alaric let out a high pitched squeal and dropped his cane which shattered upon the cold marble surface. His face turned a sickly shade of yellow while he looked at the faceless warrior holding him.
"Please spare my life and I will give you all the lands I own!" Alaric pleaded with tears streaming down his wrinkled cheeks.
Kaelen did not offer a reply and instead gestured for the shadow to complete its grim task. The blade moved and the duke fell to the ground while his soul was sucked into the floor.
"Does anyone else wish to buy their life with empty promises?" Kaelen asked while looking at the remaining nobles.
The room fell into a suffocating silence that was only broken by the distant sound of the city burning outside. King Valerius was nowhere to be seen because he had fled through the golden curtain behind the throne.
"The coward is hiding in the inner sanctum of the palace," a young noblewoman whispered with a shaking voice.
Kaelen walked toward the throne and felt the weight of the history that had been built on the blood of his men. He gripped the golden armrest and felt a surge of disgust for the luxury it represented.
"Follow the trail of his fear and bring him to me alive," Kaelen ordered his shadow army.
The shadows melted into the floor and moved through the palace like ink spreading in a basin of clear water. Kaelen followed them while his mind drifted to the faces of the friends he had lost tonight.
He entered the private chambers of the king and found the room in total disarray with gold coins scattered everywhere. Valerius was trying to shove heavy bags of treasure into a small wooden chest.
"You really think gold can buy you a way out of the underworld?" Kaelen asked while leaning against the door frame.
Valerius jumped in surprise and dropped a bag of rubies that spilled across the floor like droplets of blood. He looked at Kaelen with eyes that were wide and filled with the madness of desperation.
"I am the chosen ruler and you are nothing but a common killer!" the king screamed while pulling a small dagger from his belt.
The king lunged forward with a clumsy strike that Kaelen avoided with a simple and effortless step to the side. Kaelen grabbed the king's wrist and squeezed until the bone began to crack and groan.
"You were a ruler who forgot that your throne sits on the shoulders of soldiers," Kaelen whispered into the king's ear.
Valerius cried out in agony and dropped the dagger while his knees buckled under the pressure of Kaelen's grip. He looked up and saw the shadows of the Black Falcons standing around the room.
"Kill me then and end this nightmare!" Valerius bellowed with a voice full of broken pride.
Kaelen smiled thinly and released the king's wrist while the shadows moved closer to the fallen monarch. He did not want a quick end for the man who had ordered the slaughter of his brothers.
"Death is a mercy you do not deserve quite yet," Kaelen said while the shadows wrapped around the king's limbs.
The king was dragged into the darkness of the corner while his screams were muffled by the smoke like hands of the warriors. Kaelen turned his head when he heard the sound of heavy footsteps approaching from the hallway.
"The Royal Guard is regrouping near the west wing and they have brought the mages," a shadow soldier reported.
Kaelen felt a sharp sting of magic in the air as the wall of the chamber exploded into a thousand pieces of stone. A man in white robes stood in the dust with a staff that glowed with a blinding light.
"Let go of the king or I will erase your soul from existence," the High Mage declared with a booming voice.
Kaelen narrowed his eyes and felt the shadows around him grow larger and more aggressive in response to the light. He knew that the real battle for the kingdom was about to reach its peak.
"Your light is nothing but a candle in the middle of a coming storm," Kaelen replied while drawing his dark sword.
The High Mage raised his staff and a bolt of lightning streaked across the room toward Kaelen's chest. Kaelen did not move because a massive shadow shield had already formed in front of him.
The clash of magic and shadow shook the very foundations of the palace.