Chapter 180
Chapter 180
Matron Yara’s POV
“You traitor!” Veris shouted, her voice cutting through the clang of metal around them.
Yara only smirked.
“Traitor?” she repeated, tilting her head as if Veris had just insulted her cooking instead of accusing her of treason. “Veris… you have known me for years. How could you call me that?”
Before Veris could answer, one of Yara’s soldiers lunged from the side. Veris barely had time to raise her arm before two more grabbed her from behind, twisting her arms back and forcing her to her knees.
“Let me go!” Veris struggled, her voice sharp. “I am a council member! Unhand me!”
One of the soldiers yanked her hair back to stop her from moving. Veris hissed, kicking out, but they held her down easily.
Around them, the courtyard erupted again. Northern guards clashed with Yara’s men, blades ringing and shields crashing together. A soldier was thrown against a pillar. Another collapsed after taking a hit to the throat. The fighting didn’t slow.
“How- “Veris tried to pull free, her eyes blazing. “How dare you-Yara! Call off your men!”
Hearing this, Yara stepped closer, stopping just a few feet from Veris. The smirk on her face didn’t fade.
“Oh, Veris,” she said, almost sounding pitying. “You always thought your position meant something.”
Veris snarled as the soldiers forced her head down. “Release me! I command-”
Yara raised one hand, and the soldier gripping Veris’s hair tightened his hold, cutting her off with a sharp jerk that made Veris gasp.
“You don’t command anything anymore,” Yara said calmly, watching Veris struggle. “Not here…” Besides, she has more important things to attend to. A smirk appeared on Yara’s face as she turned towards the second floor of the mansion. “Go inside! Capture that woman for me!”
“Are you not scared of the Lord anymore?” Sister Veris screeched, her voice breaking as the soldier forced her head down again. “He will come for you! The council will come for you!”
Yara paused mid-step and looked back at her, eyebrow raised.
“The council?” she repeated, amused. “Veris… you talk as if they’re still able to move.”
Veris froze. “What… what do you mean?”
Yara crouched slightly, bringing herself just low enough to meet Veris’s narrowed eyes. “Did you really think I am as foolish as you?” she asked, her tone almost gentle. “Waiting for the council to gather, to vote, to intervene? No. The other council members will not be rescuing anyone today.”
10:05 Wed, Nov 19
Chapter 180
Veris’s face drained of color. “You didn’t-”
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“Oh, but I did.” Yara’s smile widened. “While you were wasting time chasing rumors and defending that girl, I was preparing something useful. I’ve had soldiers positioned in the council hall since dawn. By now, every member is either tied up… or unconscious.”
Veris shook her head violently, her hair pulling tighter in the soldier’s grip. “No-no, the guards-”
“Also detained.” Yara cut her off, straightening with a satisfied sigh. “And the infirmary? Subdued hours ago. It took less than fifteen minutes. They didn’t even know what hit them.”
Around them, the clash of swords grew sharper. Another Northern guard crashed against the wall, and Yara didn’t spare him a glance.
Veris stared up at her, horrified. “You planned this… all of it.”
“Of course I did.” Yara waved at the mansion as if showing off a finished painting. “Today is the perfect day. The Lord is gone. His men are scattered across the borders. And the people are too distracted with their precious consort to see what’s right in front of them.”
She turned back toward the second floor of the mansion, eyes narrowing with focus.
“Bring her to me,” she ordered again, her voice ringing out over the fighting. “Alive. That woman is the key to everything.”
Veris struggled harder, panic lacing her words now. “Yara, listen to yourself! You think you can conquer the North alone? You think you can-”
“Not alone,” Yara corrected, glancing down with a smile that made Veris stop breathing for a second. “With soldiers who know what true leadership looks like.”
She stepped back as her men surged toward the mansion doors, pushing through fallen bodies and broken shields.
“No one can stop this now,” Yara said, her eyes burning with triumph. “Today is the day I take the North.”
Veris shook her head, voice cracking. “You’re mad! You think the people will follow you? You think the Lord will fall that easily?”
Yara leaned closer, her expression soft and mocking. “He already has.”
And with that, she turned away, leaving Veris kneeling in the dirt while her soldiers stormed the mansion.
Inside the mansion, the noise hit like a wave.
Yara stepped through the doors just as her soldiers crashed into the Northern guards stationed in the entry hall. Steel met steel. A shield split under a heavy strike. One of the Lord’s men was slammed into the staircase rail and dropped, groaning, before he could get back up.
“Push them back!” one of Yara’s captains shouted. “Secure the hall!”
10:05 Wed, Nov 19
Chapter 180
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They moved fast, just like how she wanted them. The guards tried to form a line at the base of the stairs, but Yara’s men hit them from both sides. Two went down hard. Another was disarmed and shoved face-first to the floor.
“Second floor,” Yara said, not bothering to watch the rest. “Now.”
A handful of soldiers broke away from the main clash and followed her up the steps, boots pounding against the wood. The sounds of fighting below faded into a dull roar as they reached the landing.
At the end of the corridor, just as she expected, Lieutenant Lucas stood in front of a closed door.
Yara slowed, taking a moment to study him. His hand rested on the hilt of his sword. His expression was blank, but she knew better. Cassian always picked men who were loyal to the bone. Lucas was one of them.
“Lieutenant,” Yara called out as she approached. “Step aside.”
He didn’t move.
“Matron,” he replied. “Turn back. This is your last chance to stop.”
She smiled. “Always so loyal. Surrender, and I’ll spare you. I could use someone… reliable.”
His grip on his sword tightened. “I swore my loyalty to the Lord, not to you.”
Yara’s smile thinned. “So that’s a no.”
He drew his blade without another word.
However, her soldiers moved first, rushing him from both sides. Lucas didn’t retreat. He met them head-on, parrying one strike, twisting to slam his elbow into another man’s jaw. The soldier stumbled back, blood already dripping from his mouth. Another tried to come in low, but Lucas kicked him away and drove his sword into the shoulder of the next.
He was fast and efficient. It was just like what Yara expected. Every bit of Lucas’s movement had purpose.
Yara’s eyes narrowed. This was why Cassian left him here. “Subdue him!” she snapped. “Do not kill him. He will be useful.”
The men adjusted their attacks, aiming for his arms, his legs, anywhere that would bring him down without ending his life. Lucas still held his ground, breathing hard but refusing to fall. He blocked a strike meant for his neck and slammed his shoulder into one soldier’s chest, sending him crashing into the wall.
Then a shadow moved beside Yara.
A man stepped forward, hood low over his face. He raised his hand, and Yara caught the faint glint of a stone resting against his palm. It began to shine, a muted but steady light.
Almost immediately, Lucas faltered.
His sword dipped for a fraction of a second. His body went rigid, as if something invisible had hooked into him. His eyes widened in shock as his muscles locked.
10:05 Wed, Nov 19
Chapter 180
He tried to lift his arm. It shook but didn’t obey.
One of Yara’s soldiers took the opening, slamming him back against the wall and wrenching the sword from his grip. Another kicked his legs out from under him. Lucas dropped to one knee, jaw clenched, fighting against whatever held him.
The stone’s light pulsed once.
Yara watched him strain, his breathing turning rough. “Foolish,” she said, stepping closer. “Did you really think I came here unprepared?”
Lucas glared at her, trying to push himself up, but the man with the stone tightened his fingers around it, and Lucas froze again, a shudder running through him.
“Bind him,” Yara ordered. “And keep that stone on him. I want him conscious when I’m done with the consort.”
