Chapter 3 - The Portrait That RememberedThe castle guards raised their shields.

Noah felt the silver coin burning inside his pocket.
As the candle flames flickered, a strange sound echoed through the hall.
Three knocks.
Then a fourth.
From inside the painting.
One of the nobles screamed.
The painted boy's eyes slowly shifted toward Noah.
King Aldric stepped backward, nearly stumbling over his throne.
"The prophecy," he whispered. "It has begun."
The commander ordered his soldiers to destroy the portrait.
But as one knight lifted his sword, the painted young king moved his lips.
Noah heard a voice inside his head.
Do not trust the man wearing the crown.
He turned toward Aldric.
May you like
The king had heard nothing.
Yet the fear on his face suggested he knew exactly what the portrait had said.
Related Stories