Chapter 35 The Wedding Begins

• The great cathedral blazed with a thousand candles, their light dancing off the ancient stones where generations of Blackthorne royalty had been crowned, wed, and mourned. Noble families from both kingdoms filled the pews, their silk and jewels creating a tapestry of wealth and power that would witness either a union or a massacre.
• I stood at the cathedral's entrance in my grandmother's wedding dress, the midnight blue silk now adorned with silver threads that formed protective runes along the bodice and sleeves. To the watching nobles, the embroidery was merely decorative. In reality, each symbol had been carefully chosen to channel necromantic energy.
• "You look radiant, daughter," my father said, offering his arm. He wore the ceremonial armor of ancient kings, black steel polished to mirror brightness. "Are you ready to make history?"