The sound of claws against stone echoed through the catacombs like a death knell, each scrape sending shivers down Seraphine's spine. The creature from the throne room was coming, she could hear its wet, labored breathing growing louder with every passing second, could feel the vibration of its massive weight moving through the walls. Dust rained down from the ceiling in fine streams, catching in the eerie green light that pulsed from the obsidian slab.Seraphine's grip on Pip's dagger turned slick with sweat as she stared at the monstrous reflection of herself. The thing that wore her face, or some grotesque approximation of it,grinned with yellowed teeth that had been filed to sharp points. Its too-long fingers flexed unnaturally, the blackened nails clicking together like a spider testing its web. The resemblance was uncanny yet wrong in every way, her features stretched over the wrong bones, her scar raised and angry-looking, her brows too sharply arched. A failed copy. A prototype.
Kaelan shifted beside her, his breathing ragged. Blood still trickled from his nose in a steady rhythm, dripping onto the ancient stone steps with soft, metallic taps. But his eyes, those were clear now, the unnatural blackness receded, leaving behind a horror that cut deeper than any physical wound. He stared at the obsidian slab with dawning realization. The mural," he rasped, his voice raw. "It's not just a story. It's a blueprint." The queen made a wet, choking sound as her own shadow twisted tighter around her throat. Her manicured nails,usually pristine, now broken and bloodied,clawed desperately at the darkness constricting her airway. Her face had turned an alarming shade of purple, her lips moving soundlessly. The Seraphine-thing tilted its head, strands of greasy hair sliding over its bony shoulder as it watched the queen struggle. "She was always the weak one," it mused, its voice like dry parchment rubbing together. Too soft to finish what she started. Too afraid to pay the full price."
Another thunderous crashfrom above shook the catacombs violently. The clawed footsteps paused for a heartbeat,then resumed, closer now. Heavier. More deliberate. Seraphine could feel the vibrations through the soles of her boots, could hear the stone cracking under the creature's weight as it descended toward them. Her pulse hammered in her throat, her mouth gone dry as desert sand. "What are you?" she demanded, raising Pip's blade between them. The metal gleamed dully in the greenish light. The thing's smile widened impossibly, its jaw unhinging like a serpent's until she could see down its gaping maw to the blackness within. "The first daughter," it crooned. "The failed heir." It gestured to the carvings with one clawed hand, the nails scraping against the stone with a sound that set Seraphine's teeth on edge. *"She made me from royal blood and buried bones, but I was... incomplete. A flawed creation." Its hollow gaze locked onto Seraphine with terrifying intensity. "So she tried again. With you." The implication hit her like a physical blow. Kaelan grabbed Seraphine's arm, his fingers biting into her flesh. "We need to"
The Seraphine-thing moved faster than thought. One moment it knelt by the slabthe next it loomed inches away, its rotting breath hot on Seraphine's face. She gagged at the stench,decayed meat and something sweetly chemical, like embalming fluids. "Run if you like," it whispered, its stretched lips brushing her ear. *"She'll find you. My sweet sister always does."* The queen finally tore free from her shadow noose with a wet, gasping scream. She collapsed to her knees, her elaborate braids coming undone as she clutched at her bruised throat. "The ritual requires a willing heir!" she croaked, scrambling backward like a crab. Her eyes were wild, her makeup streaked with tears and sweat. "That's why you failed! That's why
The Seraphine-thing's hand snapped out with terrifying speed, grabbing the queen by her remaining braids. *"I wasn't willing,"* it agreed, yanking her head back until her spine arched painfully. *"But oh, sister... she will be."* A deafening roar shook the catacombs to their foundations. The staircase tunnel collapsed in an explosion of dust and debris, the sound so loud it left Seraphine's ears ringing. And through the haze emerged
Her, Taller than the throne room had allowed her to stand. Her massive frame had to hunch in the cramped catacombs, her claws scraping against the ceiling and sending sparks flying. That same stretched-Seraphine face, but younger. Stronger. More *complete*. The crown of thorns had fused entirely with her skull now, the vines pulsing with that same sickly green light, their thorns buried deep in her flesh. The queen whimpered, her body trembling violently. "I named her Elyssia," she whispered, as if in confession.
The newborn horror tilted its head, the movement accompanied by a series of wet pops and cracks. Then it *smiled*,and spoke in a voice like cracking ice, *"Mother."*The Seraphine-thing laughed, a sound like shattering stained glass. *"Every kingdom needs an heir."*
Wth a terrifying strength, it threw the queen directly at her daughter's waiting claws.