The Oracle, Morthos, used dark magic to escape the Hall of Ancestors. He vanished in a cloud of shadow and foul air. The court was in shock. They had just seen their most holy prophet named a liar and a traitor.
Kaelen quickly took control. He ordered the loyal guards to hunt for Morthos. He put Lord Alaric and the High Council under house arrest, not because they were evil, but because they were easily fooled by the Oracle's words. The war was no longer against a foreign enemy, but against a hidden, internal threat.
Kaelen led Lyra straight to the Oracle's tower. It was a tall, lonely structure, usually sealed by sacred wards. Now, the wards were broken by Morthos's escape magic.
The tower was filled with strange things: dusty books about fate, dried herbs, and bones used for casting spells. It was not the place of a holy man; it was the lair of a powerful mage.
"He is a weaver, not a prophet," Kaelen said, his voice hard. He held the silver slave cuff he kept on his desk. "He did not read destiny. He tried to write it."
They searched the tower. They needed to find Morthos's plan the why behind the prophecy. Why did he need a Prince who hated slaves to marry a Princess forged in chains?
Lyra found an old, heavy leather-bound book on a low shelf. The book was a secret diary, written in Morthos's quick, nervous handwriting. When she touched it, her prophetic sight flared up, eager to consume the history held within the pages.
"I need to see his past," Lyra whispered to Kaelen. "I need to know how he made the chains for me."
Kaelen knelt beside her, a look of fierce trust on his face. He knew this was dangerous. Seeing the past could hurt her, but it was their only way to the truth.
Lyra placed both hands on the book and let her sight sink in.
Lyra was no longer in the tower. She was in a garden in the Kingdom of Sol, ten years ago. It was a dark, humid night.
She saw a woman she knew well: Queen Zelia, Lyra's cruel stepmother. Zelia was younger, nervous, and greedy. She wanted Lyra's throne, but she did not know how to remove Lyra safely.
Then, Morthos the Oracle stepped out of the shadows. He looked much younger, but his eyes were just as cold.
"Your problem is the Princess Lyra," Morthos said to Zelia, his voice a sly whisper. "She has the Sun magic. You cannot kill her, or the Sol people will burn you alive."
Zelia trembled. "Then what can I do?"
Morthos smiled, a look that sent a chill through Lyra's spirit. "The North is ruled by Prince Kaelen, a man poisoned by hate for slaves. He will soon receive a prophecy. If you sell Lyra into slavery, she will perfectly fulfill the prophecy's words: 'forged in chains.' The prophecy will force the powerful Iron Prince to marry the magical Sun Princess."
"But why force the marriage?" Zelia asked, confused.
"Because the Union of Sol's Magic and Aethelgard's Iron creates a Nexus," Morthos explained, his eyes shining with ambition. "A place of perfect power. You will do my work, Zelia. You will create the Nexus for me. Once the marriage is done, I will take it all."
Zelia, seeing a way to get rid of Lyra and thinking Morthos would help her rule later, agreed instantly.
The vision jumped forward. Lyra saw Zelia taking the money from the slave trader. She saw Zelia ordering the painful Sunburst mark to be burned onto Lyra's skin, only to be hidden by rough cloth. Zelia was making sure Lyra looked like a common slave, fulfilling Morthos's every command.
Morthos had not just known Lyra would be a slave; he had made her one. He had poisoned Kaelen with hatred and poisoned Zelia with ambition, all to bring the two most powerful kingdoms together for his final, great theft.
Lyra pulled back from the book, shaking and pale. She was gasping for air, leaning against Kaelen.
"It was him," she choked out. "He is the true betrayer. He used Zelia's jealousy like a key. He created my chains to force the marriage."
Kaelen's face was grim, his eyes burning with controlled fury. He was no longer angry about the past betrayal by Alerion; he was furious about the present, calculated betrayal by Morthos.
"He is the dark figure in your vision," Kaelen confirmed, looking at the book Morthos had left. "He is the one wearing the slave's chain as his victory. He made me the slave to my own hatred, and he made you the sacrifice."
"We must find him before he can finish the Nexus," Lyra urged. "He spoke of the power of the union. We need to know what that Nexus is and how to break it."
Kaelen picked up his Iron Dagger. His heart was now free of the ghost of Alerion, making him stronger, clearer. "He wants order and magic in one place. We will find his notes. We will learn his plan. And we will destroy his Nexus before he can rule our joined kingdoms."