Chapter 17 - Chapter 17: The Shadowed Threat

Midnight draped the palace in silence, broken only by the rustle of leaves and the distant hoot of an owl. Alaric napped as a willow by the fountain, its branches swaying gently, when a pebble struck his trunk. He reverted, yawning, to find Kael—a rogue thrall, pale and lean, his dark eyes glinting under a tattered hood. "Wake, prince," Kael hissed, his voice low and sharp, tossing another pebble that bounced off Alaric's chest. "Who're you, creep?" Alaric grumbled, vines twitching as he rubbed his eyes.Kael smirked, stepping into the moonlight, his fangs glinting faintly. "A friend—or not. Depends on you. Vampires want your Greenheart—they'll rip it from your corpse." Alaric frowned, vines—ninety now—sprouting to lash at Kael's legs. The thrall dodged with inhuman speed, grabbing his wrist in a cold grip. "They'll kill you for it, prince. I won't—yet." He released him, vanishing into the shadows like smoke. Alaric slumped against the fountain, heart pounding. "Fantastic. Now I've got stalkers. Where's the restraining order?"He found a note in the dirt—scrawled in blood-red ink: The shadows watch. "Creepy and dramatic," he muttered, pocketing it. "Guess napping's off the table."