The Stolen Heir’s Bond

Kael grabbed the rope and climbed.

His father was weak from captivity, but he didn't hesitate. He followed Kael up the rope with the last of his strength.

The guards rushed the arena floor, swords drawn.

Too late.

Kael swung over the railing and landed hard in the stands. Elaria yanked his father up beside them, cutting the rope with a swift slash of her dagger.

The rope fell. The path below was gone.

The crowd screamed in chaos. Nobles shoved one another, trying to escape as guards flooded the arena.

But Kael's eyes weren't on them.

They were on the king.

The man who had stolen his throne.

The man who had kept his father a prisoner for years.

The king stood tall in his balcony, unmoved by the chaos.

His cold gaze locked onto Kael's.

Then, he smiled.

Kael's blood went cold.

The king lifted a hand—a silent command.

And suddenly, dozens of crossbows were raised in the stands.

A trap.

Kael shoved his father behind him. Elaria cursed under her breath, her eyes darting for an escape route.

The king's voice cut through the air, smooth as poisoned silk.

"Run, little prince."

A pause.

"See how far you get."

Then—the arrows flew.

—

Kael moved.

He grabbed his father and dived behind a stone pillar as the first wave of arrows slammed into the stands, splintering wood and shattering glass.

Elaria was already moving, her daggers flashing as she cut a path through the panic. "Kael! We need to go—now!"

Kael's father coughed weakly, but his eyes were sharp. "There's a way out."

Kael snapped to him. "Where?"

His father pointed toward the upper gates, where the nobles were still shoving past one another. "The catacombs. If we reach them, we can lose the guards in the tunnels."

Kael didn't question him. He moved.

He shoved past fleeing nobles, keeping his father close, Elaria covering their backs.

Arrows rained down. Guards were already closing in.

But then—

Kael saw it.

An old, half-broken door at the edge of the stands. The wood was rotting, the hinges rusted. But beyond it—darkness. A passage leading down.

The catacombs.

Their only way out.

Kael turned to Elaria. "Cover us!"

She nodded, already moving to hold off the nearest guards.

Kael grabbed his father's arm and threw open the door.

They ran into the dark.

Behind them, the king's laughter echoed.