The Raven's Prophecy: A Shadow of Acre

London, 1307. Winter’s icy grip tightens around the city, a chilling presence more ominous than the fog swirling through its cobbled streets. King Edward lies dying, his throne vulnerable, and whispers of potential successors breed treachery in the court. But a far more ancient evil stirs in the shadows. The Ravens of Valefort, a cult thought long extinct, have returned, leaving a single obsidian raven feather upon the murdered body of Lord Stafford—a chilling omen amidst the looming succession crisis.

Sir Edmund Neville, a knight haunted by the horrors of the Crusades, is summoned back to the viper’s nest of court. Tasked with unraveling the truth behind Stafford’s death, he must expose the Ravens before their darkness consumes London entirely. Paired with him is Eleanor of Blackfriars, the Queen’s enigmatic spymaster, whose loyalty is as sharp and concealed as the blade she wields. While Edmund bears the visible scars of war, Eleanor carries the invisible wounds of courtly intrigue, her heart shielded against the cruelties of power.

Their investigation plunges them into the bustling heart of London, unearthing coded messages in merchant ledgers, heretical symbols on ceremonial daggers, and cryptic prophecies whispered by a blind beggar whose madness masks unsettling clarity. Edmund, grounded in logic, seeks answers in historical records and physical evidence. Eleanor, a creature of the shadows, navigates the treacherous currents of the court, deciphering the veiled threats that dance between silk-clad nobles.

Their path converges with others drawn into the conspiracy: a disgraced archivist obsessed with forbidden texts, a cunning apothecary with a secret knowledge of poisons, and a tormented woman haunted by her past as a Valefort initiate. Each murder committed by the Ravens follows a chilling astrological pattern, revealing a ritualistic purpose far grander than mere assassination. The raven feathers are not calling cards, but components in a blasphemous rite designed to awaken something ancient and malevolent slumbering beneath the city's foundations.

As Edmund and Eleanor delve deeper, they uncover a conspiracy intertwined with London's hidden history, reaching back to Roman times. The ritual is a blood offering to the Raven God, an entity whose name is spoken only in hushed whispers. Its awakening, tied to the forthcoming coronation, threatens not only the kingdom’s stability but the very fabric of reality. Edmund’s own traumatic past resonates with the unfolding events, making him a pawn in the Ravens' deadly game. Eleanor, caught between loyalty and a burgeoning connection with the broken knight, must make a déchirant choice.

The mastermind behind the Ravens is not who they expect, but someone cloaked in piety, wielding faith as a weapon. The final confrontation takes place within the hallowed halls of Westminster Abbey on the eve of the coronation. As the ritual reaches its terrifying climax, Edmund and Eleanor must confront not only the cult’s leader but the full force of the awakened entity. Amidst the chaos, a desperate act of sacrifice offers a sliver of hope, but the memory of the Raven's shadow, and the chilling prophecy that nearly consumed London, will forever haunt the city's stones.

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كتاب إلكتروني: 11 نوفمبر 2024