Chapter 7
The journey to the Old Temple was not one I’d ever imagined for myself. It wasn’t the kind of path you simply set out on—especially not when it led deep into vampire territory, toward a forgotten relic of power that had been hidden for centuries.
I had no map, no guide, no idea what to expect—only Marcus’s cryptic words and the cold, silent certainty that there was no turning back. He’d made that clear enough when he ordered me to go. You want answers? Then go. It was as though he was watching from the shadows, waiting to see if I would survive the trek, or if I would crumble beneath the weight of whatever lay ahead.
The vampire who had escorted me to the throne room earlier was now leading me out of the castle grounds. He hadn’t said a word to me since we left the dungeons. We walked through long corridors, down winding staircases, and out into the bleak, overcast daylight. The castle, as imposing as it was, gradually faded from sight as we crossed the barren land that stretched before me.
My stomach churned, not from hunger, but from the gnawing sense of uncertainty gnawing at me. Why me? Why was I chosen for this task?
I had tried to push the questions from my mind, but they kept resurfacing, as if mocking my lack of answers. My thoughts kept circling back to my parents. If they had been involved with something ancient, something dangerous, I had to know what it was. There had to be more to their disappearance than what I had been told. I couldn’t just walk away from this. But what was I walking into?
The vampire leading me—his name was Selric, I gathered from his brief introduction—didn’t seem concerned by my silence. His cold eyes were fixed ahead, his expression unreadable, as we marched across the vast, desolate landscape. The wind bit at my skin, but I had learned quickly not to show weakness.
“Tell me about the temple,” I said, breaking the silence.
Selric’s head didn’t even turn toward me. “It’s old,” he said simply, his voice devoid of any real emotion. “The temple has been abandoned for centuries. Only a few know of its location. Even fewer have ever returned after seeking it out.”
I frowned, my feet kicking up dust as I tried to keep pace with him. “What’s in it? What am I supposed to find there?”
He didn’t answer immediately, and for a moment, I thought he wouldn’t. But then he spoke, his voice a low rasp. “Knowledge. Secrets. And death. What you seek there, Tess, will change everything. Be prepared for that.”
I glanced at him, surprised by the shift in his tone. “What do you mean? What kind of death?”
He gave a small, humorless laugh. “You’ll understand soon enough.” His eyes flicked toward me for a brief moment, and then he was silent again.
The further we walked, the more the landscape began to shift. The dry, cracked earth beneath our feet gave way to a rough, uneven terrain. We crossed a narrow river, the water dark and sluggish, and moved deeper into the forest. The trees here were ancient, their gnarled branches twisting toward the sky like the hands of long-dead giants. The forest grew thick, dark, the canopy overhead casting everything in a shadowy gloom.
And then, I saw it.
The Old Temple.
It stood before us like a phantom from a past that had been forgotten by time. The structure was massive, its stone walls weathered by centuries of wind and rain. The entrance was framed by columns that had once been magnificent but now lay crumbling, their surfaces etched with faded runes that seemed to shimmer in the dim light. It looked like something from a nightmare—a ruin so ancient that it had become part of the earth itself.
A chill ran down my spine as I approached it, the air growing thicker, heavier, with each step.
Selric stopped at the edge of the temple and turned to me. “You go inside alone,” he said flatly, his eyes never leaving me.
“What? No,” I shook my head. “You can’t just leave me here. I don’t even know what I’m supposed to look for.”
He shrugged, as if the matter was of little consequence to him. “The king’s orders were clear. Go inside. Find what you need. And then leave.”
I opened my mouth to argue, but the look on his face—cold, unyielding—told me that further protests would be pointless. I felt the weight of the air around me tighten, suffocating in its stillness. This place, this temple, had an aura about it, something ancient, something powerful.
For a brief moment, I considered running. But what would that solve? I was already so far into this, and I had no other choice.
I squared my shoulders, trying to steel myself. “Fine. I’ll go in.”
Selric gave a short nod. “Good. Don’t be foolish. Do not go too deep. You’ll find what you’re looking for, but you’ll also find what you’re not meant to see.”
With that, he turned on his heel and walked back toward the trees, leaving me alone in front of the temple.
I hesitated for a moment, unsure if I was making the right choice, but then I took a deep breath and stepped forward.
The inside of the temple was cold, colder than any place I had ever been. The air felt thick with dust and age, and the scent of old stone and dampness lingered in my nostrils. Faint light filtered in through cracks in the stone walls, casting long, eerie shadows on the floor. The space was vast, stretching farther than I could see, the columns reaching up into the darkness like silent sentinels.
I walked carefully, every step echoing off the stone. My heart pounded in my chest, the sound deafening in the silence. I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was being watched, but there was no one here. No one but me.
As I ventured deeper into the temple, the air grew colder still, and the shadows grew longer. The walls were lined with faded carvings, ancient symbols I didn’t recognize. Some of them seemed to pulse with a strange, faint energy, as though they had been alive once, and now they were merely remnants of a forgotten time.
And then, I found it.
In the heart of the temple, beneath a high, vaulted ceiling, stood a massive stone altar. Atop it was a large, ornate chest, its surface covered in intricate carvings. The carvings seemed to shift in the low light, flickering as though they were alive. I moved toward it, my hands trembling.
This is it. This is what Marcus wanted me to find.
I reached out and placed my fingers on the chest, the stone cold beneath my touch. The moment I did, the air seemed to shift. A low rumble, like distant thunder, echoed through the temple, and the ground beneath me trembled.
I stepped back, my heart racing. I hadn’t expected this.
Before I could react, the air in front of me distorted, like heat rising off the ground. The shadows coalesced, forming a shape—a figure, tall and looming, with eyes that glowed like molten silver.
I gasped, my legs faltering beneath me.
The figure stepped forward, and I could feel it—its presence pressing down on me like an iron weight. My throat went dry, and I couldn’t breathe.
“You should not have come here,” the figure said, its voice a low, ominous whisper. “This place is not for mortals.”
I opened my mouth to speak, but no words came.
And then, the figure’s eyes met mine, and the world seemed to twist.
This was just the beginning.