CAIUS: Crown of Threads and Shadows

The Judge raised his bone staff to order the tribunal’s vote, but before the call could be uttered, a low, cold chime echoed through the gargantuan cavern. The crystal sound resonated off the basalt spires, instantly freezing every noble, warlord, and executioner in their seats.

From the highest balcony of the Moon Court, the Absolute Moon slowly leaned forward from her seat of dark, light-devouring silk. Her shrouded gaze settled entirely upon Caius.

”A fourteen-year-old human child challenging a master Shadowblade in open court,” her voice carried effortlessly through the vast arena, smooth as velvet yet heavy with absolute authority. ”To permit such a single-sided slaughter now would violate House Vel’drin’s ancient right of guardianship over its recognized ward. The laws of this court must hold.”

The Patriarch of House Mor’vane spat onto the stone terrace in disgust. ”So the human boy gets to hide behind clan technicalities?”

”He does not hide,” the Absolute Moon replied coldly, her luminescent eyes gleaming behind her veil. ”The Veng’khal-Tuk is accepted.”

A sudden wave of shock rippled across the high galleries.

”However,” the Absolute Moon continued, ”the trial shall take place two years from today, on the boy’s sixteenth birth-date.”

Caius stood unmoving at the center of the floor, feeling the staggering weight of her mandate.

”Until that day, Caius Macrae remains within the Underdark under the absolute protection and legal guardianship of House Vel’drin. He shall be trained, tested, and prepared for the duel.”

Fierce murmurs of outrage erupted from the blood-feud clans, but the Absolute Moon raised a single silver-gloved finger, smothering the rising unrest in an instant.

”And here is the Sovereign’s condition,” she declared. ”If Caius Macrae survives those two years and defeats the master Shadowblade chosen by this court, all recognized blood feuds against the Macrae bloodline shall be abolished forever across the realm. Furthermore, Sereth of House Vel’drin shall be granted absolute freedom from his clan obligations, his Shadowblade oaths, and all legal claims placed upon him.”

If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

Sereth’s unyielding posture shifted slightly, his dark eyes widening in genuine disbelief.

The Absolute Moon leaned slightly closer to the marble railing. ”However... the moment the human boy wins, a Great Hunt will begin.”

The cavern grew deathly silent.

”You will be given twelve hours,” she purred, her silver eyes narrowing into lethal crescents. ”Twelve hours to escape the Dark Elf Underdark. During those twelve hours, every Great House, warlord, and mercenary clan holding a grievance against Cullum Macrae will be granted royal permission to hunt you without restriction. To slaughter you before you reach the surface world.”

Cruel, dark laughter cascaded down from the rival clan balconies. The blood-feud lords found the arrangement more than acceptable. A two-year delay was nothing to dark elves who lived for centuries, and if the human boy somehow survived the duel, an entire subterranean civilization would be unleashed to tear him to pieces.

Bound in his suppression chains, Sereth’s jaw tightened. ”Caius,” his low, gravelly voice echoed across the stone. ”Do not accept this trap.”

Caius looked back at his mentor, seeing genuine concern in Sereth’s eyes for the first time. But Caius did not falter. He turned his gaze back to the towering cliffside thrones. He understood the suicidal odds: two years to match a master assassin, followed by a twelve-hour flight through an entire realm of hunters. Yet it meant Sereth’s complete freedom, the cleansing of his father’s name, and his own survival.

Caius lifted his chin, his voice ringing true across the amphitheater. ”I accept your terms.”

Outraged shouts briefly flared anew before Caius pressed on, stepping firmly toward the tribunal. ”A trial at sixteen. Sereth’s freedom. And the Great Hunt. But I have one condition of my own.”

The Judge scowled, raising his staff. ”You are in no position to demand conditions, human!”

”Let the boy speak,” the Absolute Moon commanded softly.

Caius locked eyes with the veiled ruler. ”If I win the trial, before the Great Hunt begins and before I leave the Underdark, the Court of the Dual Sovereigns must grant me one question—a question that the Dual Sovereigns themselves must answer with complete, absolute truth.”

An eerie, stunned silence blanketed the court. Dark elf nobility exchanged uneasy glances, shocked that a human boy dared demand an oath of truth from the supreme rulers of their realm.

Beside the Moon, the Absolute Sun remained bathed in silent radiance. The Absolute Moon studied Caius for several agonizing seconds before a faint, amused smile curved beneath her shadow veil.

”A duel for a life,” her voice echoed through the cavern like a solemn tolling bell. ”A hunt for a bloodline. And a secret for a victory. The terms are sealed.”

The Absolute Moon slowly leaned back into her throne, her parting command chilling the arena floor.

”You have two years, Caius Macrae. Make them count.”