Chapter 210 The Heart Of Darkness

• The Blackstone Fortress loomed over them like a dark sentinel, its massive black walls shrouded in an eerie mist. The wind howled through the jagged rocks surrounding it, sending whispers that sounded like distant cries of those long lost to its curse. Ariella could feel the cold air seeping into her skin, a shiver running down her spine as if the very land resented their presence.
• Raelen had ridden beside her in silence for most of the journey, his stoic expression betraying his growing unease. He was no stranger to danger, but this place… this fortress… was something else. There was a palpable sense of wrongness in the air. As if the very foundation of the land here was built on ancient sorrows and forbidden power.
• "We’re almost there," Ariella said, breaking the silence. Her voice was steady, though her heart hammered in her chest. She was close now, so close to confronting the legacy of the Drakemire family—her legacy.