Chapter 5 - The Grandfather's Sin
The giant mechanical weapon hummed with a terrifying, rhythmic energy.
Hundreds of glowing blue gears spun endlessly around a central glass core.
Arthur stared at the machine, realizing his ancestors had not built a sanctuary.
They had built a weapon of mass destruction designed to level the entire palace.
Marianne pointed to a large mechanical dial counting down with loud, heavy clicks.
They only had three hours before the machine detonated and destroyed everything above them.
She found a dusty leather journal resting on a small pedestal near the bomb.
The journal belonged to her grandfather, explaining the dark truth of his work.
King Henry had commissioned the weapon decades ago as a final deterrent against rebellious nobles.
However, the traitorous Commander Vance had secretly activated the countdown before attacking the king.
Marianne read that the only way to defuse the bomb was to retrieve the master blueprints.
Those blueprints were hidden in her grandfather's abandoned workshop in her poor home village.
Arthur knew they had to escape the catacombs and ride to the village immediately.
They found a narrow drainage pipe that led to the moat outside the palace walls.
They crawled through the filthy water and emerged into the freezing night air.
They quietly stole two fast horses from the royal stables and rode toward the city gates.
As they reached the edge of the forest, a massive line of torches suddenly blocked the road.
Lord Sterling, Arthur's trusted childhood mentor, sat on a black warhorse surrounded by an army.
May you like
He smiled warmly at Arthur while drawing a poisoned blade.
He cheerfully announced that the prince would not be leaving the capital tonight.
