To Vanquish Darkness (Le Sombre #1)

Chapter 42

42

1422 TOURS, LOIRE VALLEY

A lba stood before the crumbling stone altar, her heart beating slow and steady. This was it. She was supposed to be there, she could feel it.

The altar was weathered and cracked, vines winding their way through the crevices, as if nature had already laid claim to what lay beneath. She reached out a trembling hand, her fingers brushing against the cool, rough surface.

Theo put a hand on her lower back, centering her. “Let me.”

Alba nodded. Her breath hitched as Theo plunged his hand into a thin crevice and pulled at the rock. The side of the altar gave away easily under his strength, and in seconds, she was able to reach into the musty sarcophagus.

Her fingers brushed something cool and metallic. “It’s here. I knew it would be here.”

As soon as she said it, the stone walls around her began to disintegrate, and she was standing in a richly decorated hall. The distant sound of water flowing broke through her awareness, and she turned, her eyes widening as she saw the Loire river stretching out before her through the window.

“It’s here. I knew it would be here.”

“Amalie.”

She frowned, turning to look down the hall. Who was Amalie? The corridor was empty. Alba looked down at the sword in her hand, then back out the window at the river. “It’s here. I knew?—”

“ Amalie. ”

The walls around her shook, and she dropped the sword to the floor. “It’s here. I?—”