Chapter 60 The First Envoy
The distortion in the courtyard didn’t explode; it hummed.
A pillar of white light, more solid than any laser I had ever seen, struck the ground between the fountain and the ruined portico.
The ash on the ground didn’t fly away; it disintegrated.
From the light stepped a figure that defied every law of wolf or human.
It was tall, nearly seven feet, and encased in armour that looked like it was forged from liquid mercury.
There were no seams, no joints, just a fluid, shifting surface that reflected the ruined estate back at us.
It didn’t have a face, only a single, glowing horizontal slit where eyes should be.
“The Harvest is premature,” the figure said.
Its voice didn’t come from a throat; it resonated directly inside our skulls, a frequency that made my eyes bleed.
“The Source has been scattered. The vessels are incomplete.”
Killian shifted instantly, the massive black wolf roaring as he lunged at the intruder.
But the mercury figure didn’t flinch. It simply raised a hand, and a wave of kinetic force slammed into Killian, throwing him backwards into the stone wall with enough force to crack the granite.
“Killian!” I screamed, the silver fire erupting from my body in a pillar of flame.
I didn’t hold back. I poured every ounce of my rage, my grief, and my Sovereign power into a spear of ice and fire, aimed directly at the figure’s chest. The impact was deafening, a shockwave that shattered every window left in the estate.
When the smoke cleared, the figure was standing in the same spot.
A small, circular hole had been burned into its mercury armour, but the liquid metal was already flowing back into place, sealing the wound.
“The Queen Mother was correct,” the Envoy said, its “eyes” scanning me.
“The lineage has adapted. The fire is pure. But the fire is not yours to keep.”
It raised its hand again, and I felt a sensation I hadn’t felt since the ravine: absolute, paralyzing fear.
My magic didn’t just fail; it retreated.
It hid in the darkest corners of my soul, refusing to answer my call.
“We are the architects,” the Envoy announced.
“We gave you the Gene to survive the cold of this world. Now, we return to harvest the warmth. Bring the twins. They are the primary yield.”