Let Them Kneel (kaelani and Julian) novel Chapter 170

Chapter 170

Near the fountain, a scholar had collapsed against a marble bench, scrolls spilling from stiff fingers — parchment caught forever in the moment before it hit the ground.

Further ahead, two young fae stood locked in what must have been an argument, their expressions twisted in anger, mouths open mid–word.

On the far terrace, musicians sat poised with instruments lifted – hands hovering above strings that would never be plucked.

Even the water itself had been claimed.

A crystal fountain stood at the center of the courtyard, its cascading streams halted in mid–fall, droplets suspended like shattered diamonds in the air.

“What’s wrong with them?” Julian said to no one in particular.

No breath fogged from their lips.

No eyes blinked.

No chest rose or fell.

Jace moved closer to one of the frozen guards, waving a hand in front of the man’s face.

Nothing.

“…They’re alive?” he asked.

Julian didn’t answer right away.

His gaze had drifted toward the towering doors of the palace beyond the courtyard.

Something inside him twisted.

Hard.

“We need to find Kaelani,” he said, urgency flickering in his eyes.

They crossed the threshold of the Seelie castle expecting answers.

Instead-

they found more stillness.

More silence.

The vast entry hall stretched before them, its towering arches and crystal chandeliers frozen mid–glow as though time itself had simply… stopped.

Figures stood scattered throughout the chamber.

Suspended.

A pair of attendants remained locked in the act of bowing to one another. A noblewoman stood halfway down a staircase, her gown caught mid–sway. Two guards flanked the grand doors deeper within the castle, their hands frozen inches from their

weapons.

Not dead.

Not alive.

Chapter 170

Trapped somewhere in between.

Jace let out a low breath.

“You think she’s here?” he asked quietly.

Julian shook his head.

“No.”

His voice came out rougher than he intended.

“I’m not picking up her scent here.”

But his wolf bristled beneath his skin.

Unease coiled tight in his chest – instinct screaming that something here was deeply, dangerously not right.

They moved deeper into the castle.

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Their steps echoed through corridors swallowed in shadow, the faint glow of enchanted sconces casting long, distorted shapes across marble floors. Every turn revealed more frozen figures… more lives caught mid–motion as if the entire court had been locked inside a single unfinished moment.

Julian kept walking.

Kept pushing forward.

But his breathing began to change.

Subtle at first.

Then heavier.

Each inhale dragged slightly, as though the air itself resisted filling his lungs. A dull ache pulsed beneath his ribs, spreading slowly outward like poison threading through his veins.

He lengthened his stride to keep pace with Jace.

Refused to slow.

Refused to show weakness.

Until-

Jace stopped walking.

Completely.

“Show me.

Julian’s steps only slightly faltered.

“What?”

“Julian…” Jace’s voice dropped, heavy with knowing. “You know what I’m talking about

Julian finally came to a halt. He didn’t turn.

His back remained rigid, shoulders tight as he stared down the darkened corridor altead

“We don’t have time for this right now,” he said flatly.

Silence filled the space between them

a heartbeat or two slipping through the tension.

ame.

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else.

sistence in Jace’s voice was enough.

y, Julian exhaled and turned to face him and the sight made Jace’s stomach drop.

Man’s skin had gone pale beneath the moonlit shadows pooling through the high windows. Dark circles bruised the space beneath his eyes, deeper than they had been only moments before. A thin sheen of sweat clung to his brow despite the chill hanging in the castle air.

Without a word, Julian lifted the hem of his shirt.

Revealing the mark.

–

Blackened veins spidered outward from the wound like creeping rot beneath his skin – twisted, corrupted lines spreading across his abdomen and inching toward his chest. The surrounding flesh looked wrong… as though something inside him was quietly unraveling.

Jace’s breath caught.

He closed his eyes for a brief moment, shaking his head as if willing the sight away.

As if hoping his vision had betrayed him.

It hadn’t.

Jace’s eyes snapped open again, anger flashing through the shock.

“Why the hell didn’t you say something?” he demanded, voice tight. “Why didn’t you tell me before I drank the potion?”

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