Thalric Deepcurrent's Arc

Chapter 9 of 11

Thalric stared at the crown suspended in its cage of crystal. The rods pulsed with stolen light, each pulse weaker than the last. He could see the power draining away, flowing down through the rods into channels carved in the stone floor. The council wasn't just hiding what belonged to his bloodline. They were killing it. He grabbed the nearest crystal rod with all four hands and pulled. The rod didn't budge. He braced his feet against the stone and wrenched harder, feeling his muscles scream. The crystal cracked. Light burst from the fracture and the cage screamed with it, a high keening that filled the chamber. Thalric twisted and the rod shattered in his grip. The cage collapsed inward, rods snapping and falling, and the Tidecrown dropped into his hands. It burned cold against his palms, its power flooding into him like a wave breaking over rock. His blood sang with it. His eyes blazed brighter. The connection he'd lost three generations ago slammed back into place, and he knew with absolute certainty that the crown had maybe an hour of strength left before the council's theft would have drained it beyond recovery. He'd gotten here just in time.