Page 100 of House of Ydril

Adrenaline flooding my body, I yell out as I tap my rune and make the Earth swallow him whole.

Once I see him get sucked in, I let out a breath I seem to have been holding. Now panting, I push myself off the ground and I keep moving. For a second, I consider going after Harry and Sarya, but underground? I don’t think that’s where the Stone would be, so I choose to keep following Faust.

Soon, I start finding trails of fresh blood and dead armored animals all over the place. In an inner courtyard, in a reception room, in a kitchen.

It’s only once I get to the throne room that I see him again. Faust, standing in front of the massive stone throne and next to an even bigger armored bear.

The bear is all bloody and so is Faust. He’s swaying on his feet and has one hand pressed to his chest.

Suddenly panicking, I run to him and start inspecting him for wounds.

And holy shit. He’s so wounded, I’m amazed that he’s even standing.

Seemingly not even recognizing me, he just slaps my hands away. “Let me be,” he mutters, takes something out of his pocket, a vial, and downs its contents.

But it’s only when he turns around, however shakily, and starts walking straight to a pillar in front of the throne behind him, that it hits me.

I let out an actual gasp and open my mouth to tell him, but there it is. Resting on the surface of the pillar. Glowing.TheStone.

And Faust is already reaching for it.

“Don’t,” I yell out.

Slowly, he turns to look at me. “Why not?” he squeezes out, his voice pained.

“It’s exactly what your uncle wants you to do,” I blurt out. “I don’t know why I ever thought he’d come win the Stone himself,” I say with a shake of my head, “when he can just send you.”

He just blinks at me and then lets out a weak, pained laugh.

“Did he give it to you,” I insist, “what you just drank? You know what it is? The remains of all the Blood Rituals. The only way for you to unlock the power of the Stone.”

This time, he squints at me angrily. “You’re really something, you know that?”

He doesn’t let me answer. He turns back to the Stone. Before I can do anything, he’s already grabbed it and I know that it’s too late when I see his body start to emit that same glow and I hear a chuckle sound behind my back.

Chapter forty-one

Iturnaroundandsee Baldor Faust strolling up to us, smiling and tapping his walking stick on the ground.

“Uncle,” I hear Faust mutter.

My eyes fixed on Baldor, I want to tell his nephew ‘I told you so,’ but I know better than that, I remind myself.

The uncle closes the remaining distance between them. “Andreas, you’ve been amazing. But what I want you to do now is take the Stone with you,” he says as he points at a door behind the throne, “walk out into the Arena and make everyone bow to you.”

“Why are you doing this?” his nephew asks, looking as if he’s been struck by lightning.

I just stand there. What I really want is to attack, but I owe it to Faust to let him try to deal with his only remaining family by himself.

Baldor lets out a chuckle and says, “You know the answer to that question, nephew.” He starts pacing up and down, one hand on his back and the other on his stick. “The balance of our world is hanging by a thread. Imagine being able to fixeverything. That’s what the Stone allows.”

“Is that why you didn’t care about the Archduke’s proposal?” Faust asks in an accusing voice. “You had bigger fish to fry, didn’t you?”

“Think what you will,” Baldor says. “The first time I tried to get the Stone, it rejected me,” he adds as he looks down at his injured left side. “But it didn’t rejectyou. And each in his own way, you and I are special. If we put our minds and hands together, we could make the world amuchbetter place.”

My eyes dart to Faust. With bated breath, I watch the struggle on his face. “Maybe if I made it temporary, just long enough to-”

And just like that, I can’t take it anymore. “Are you fucking kidding me?” I yell out, making both men turn to look at me.

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