A Royal Obligation
Chapter 161: The Unseen Flames

Chapter 161: The Unseen Flames

As Kaelix and Drystan raced toward the armory, they were greeted by an unexpected sight: the king, Kaelix’s father, already at the scene. Cloaked in the flickering light of the roaring flames, King Reagan stood tall and composed amidst the chaos, issuing sharp commands to the guards and palace staff.

"Form a line! Keep the water flowing, don’t stop for a second!" the king’s voice boomed, cutting through the noise of the inferno like steel through flesh.

His eyes, cold and calculating, flickered over the fire, taking in every detail with the practiced gaze of a seasoned warrior. He gestured toward the soldiers struggling to contain the blaze, his hands moving with urgency as he directed the flow of their efforts.

Kaelix slowed his pace as he approached, momentarily taken aback by his father’s presence. The king was rarely seen in the midst of such disorder. His father, the image of control and authority, seemed out of place here, standing so close to the raging flames, his regal composure unaffected by the surrounding turmoil.

"Father," Kaelix called, breathless, as he reached his side.

The king glanced at him briefly, his expression unreadable beneath the mask of soot and shadows. "Kaelix," he acknowledged with a curt nod, his attention quickly returning to the fire. "Help the men. This needs to be brought under control now."

Kaelix barely had a moment to respond before King Reagan issued more orders, pointing toward the northern side of the armory where the fire had begun to climb the stone walls. "Focus your efforts there! We can still save the building if we keep it from spreading further!"

Without hesitation, Kaelix grabbed a bucket and fell into line with the others, his body moving on instinct as he joined the desperate effort to extinguish the blaze. Despite his father’s presence, the nagging questions still clawed at his mind: How had this happened? Why here?

The fire’s intensity roared on, but with the combined effort of the soldiers and the king’s leadership, the flames began to lose their hold. Kaelix fought alongside his father’s men, sweat and soot mingling on his skin, but the weight of his thoughts pressed harder than the physical strain.

The armory was one of the most secure places in the palace, heavily guarded and fortified. Fires didn’t just break out there without reason. Someone had done this, there was no doubt in Kaelix’s mind. But who? And why?

His thoughts raced, but he forced himself to focus on the immediate task: stopping the fire before it devoured everything inside. If the weapons and supplies were destroyed, the kingdom would be vulnerable to an attack, and their enemies would be merciless.

The courtyard was a scene of chaos, guards and palace staff running to and fro, shouting orders over the roar of the flames. Buckets of water were being passed along a human chain, but the fire was fierce, relentless, like a living beast determined to consume everything in its path.

"Quickly!" Kaelix bellowed, his voice commanding yet strained, thick with the urgency of the situation.

He grabbed buckets after buckets from the guards and hurled the water toward the flames continuously, watching as it splashed against the fire, sizzling in defiance before disappearing into the blaze.

Beside him, Drystan worked tirelessly, his muscles straining as he hefted bucket after bucket of water. His face was a mask of determination, every movement calculated and precise.

But as he threw another bucket into the flames, his thoughts drifted, and the fire in front of him blurred, replaced by an image of Sadiki’s face, startled, agitated, and... scared.

Drystan clenched his jaw, his hands gripping the next bucket so tightly his knuckles turned white. He had tried to brush off the encounter earlier, chalking up Sadiki’s behavior to their recent argument.

But now, in the midst of the chaos, he couldn’t ignore the feeling in his gut.

Sadiki had been acting strangely for weeks, distracted, distant, avoiding him at every turn. And earlier tonight, Drystan had seen him coming from the direction of the armory, looking... guilty.

The thought struck him like a blow to the chest, and for a moment, he froze. Could Sadiki be involved in this?

No. It didn’t make sense. Sadiki was one of the most loyal people he knew. But the pieces were starting to fit together, and the more Drystan thought about it, the more his stomach twisted in dread.

Kaelix’s voice snapped him back to the present. "Drystan, focus!" Kaelix’s face was flushed from the heat, his eyes sharp as they scanned the inferno. "We’re losing control."

Drystan swallowed hard, pushing the troubling thoughts of Sadiki to the back of his mind. He couldn’t afford to be distracted right now.

Together, he and Kaelix doubled their efforts, directing the guards and palace staff as they continued to douse the flames. Slowly, painfully, the fire began to shrink, retreating back toward the outer walls of the armory.

Kaelix wiped the sweat from his brow with the back of his hand, his breath coming in ragged gasps. "It’s almost out," he muttered, more to himself than anyone else. His gaze darted to the weapons stored inside the armory, his heart easing just slightly. Most of them were untouched, saved from the worst of the fire.

"We got lucky," he said to Drystan, stepping back to assess the damage.

"It could’ve been much worse. The weapons are mostly intact. It seems like someone only wanted to cause a distraction, not destroy the entire armory."

Drystan barely heard Kaelix’s words. His mind was elsewhere. He clenched his jaw, his thoughts churning like a storm. Sadiki. Why had Sadiki been near the armory? Why hadn’t he said anything? The suspicion grew inside him like an unbearable itch, one he couldn’t ignore any longer.

"Your Highness," Drystan said suddenly, his voice tight as he pulled Kaelix aside. "We need to leave. Now."

Kaelix frowned, confused. "What are you talking about? The fire’s nearly out."

Drystan’s grip tightened on his arm. "It’s not about the fire. Eirik..."

Before he could finish, King Reagan’s voice cut through. "Kaelix, you’re needed here," his tone sharp, more a command than a suggestion. The king’s eyes flicked over Drystan with mild suspicion, but he dismissed it quickly.

"I’ll return shortly," Kaelix muttered to his father, already moving toward the palace. The king nodded shrugged, his attention shifting back to the fire.

There was something in Drystan’s voice that Kaelix could not ignore. It wasn’t just urgency. It was fear. Kaelix’s heart skipped a beat, a cold dread forming in the pit of his stomach.

Kaelix hurried away, the distant roar of the fire fading as they moved deeper into the palace grounds.

Drystan followed closely, his mind racing with a thousand thoughts, none of them good. His pulse quickened with each step, a sense of impending doom creeping over him like a shadow.

The closer they got to the palace chambers, the quieter it became.

The usual hum of the night had been replaced by an oppressive silence, the kind that made every hair on Kaelix’s neck stand on end. The air felt thick, heavy, as though it was holding its breath, waiting for something to happen.

Kaelix’s heart pounded in his chest, his footsteps quickening as they neared the chambers.

When they reached the door, Kaelix pushed it open with more force than necessary, his breath catching in his throat as his eyes scanned the empty room.

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