Page 145 of Savage Throne
And then, they quickly began to play some new song.
Huh?
The sound shifted, breaking into a melody I didn’t recognize—a slow, haunting rhythm that snaked its way through the Sanctum.
What are they playing?
Around the space, conversations died.
Forks stilled.
Heads turned toward the pavilion’s entrance.
Aunt Min spoke. “They’re coming. That must be Leo and Monique.”
Chen stiffened beside me. “But what the hell is the orchestra playing?”
I didn’t respond.
The song slithered through the pavilion, curling around the pillars like smoke, dripping with a sinister, lazy confidence that made the hair on the back of my neck stand on end.
It was a jazz tune—slow, sultry, and dark—like something you’d hear in an old film where death waltzed in wearing a smile and holding a very large knife.
It wasn’t grand like the orchestra’s earlier pieces.
No swelling strings.
No crashing cymbals.
This was something wicked, somethingchosen.
A creeping melody where every note hung in the air too long, stretching nerves thin.
A trumpet wailed in the distance, high and sharp, while the soft, rhythmic hum of the bass underpinned it all—steady, measured, like the ticking of a clock.
And I just knew. . .I fucking knew.
Oh really, Father?
I let go of Soaring Precious and frowned. “It’s her theme song.”
Everyone put their attention toward the entrance.
“Monique’s theme song?” Chen muttered under his breath. “But. . .you and I were supposed to pick that later.”
A growl rose in my throat as I gritted my teeth.
Father, you kidnap her on the supposed last night of your life. You make her kill. You fucking put together her theme song. Is she your Mountain Mistress or mine?
Anger surged hotter with every sinister note that echoed through the Sanctum.
The path at the far end of the mosaic pavilion remained empty, but the song built like a storm rolling in.
The horns wailed again—louder now, grating against my skull—and my pulse matched the ominous rhythm of the bass.
I stood, rising slowly from my throne.
All the guests in the space rose with me.
