Chapter 16: The Gathering Dark
Aisling awoke to the quiet stillness of dawn, the sky outside her window streaked with the faintest hint of light. The estate was silent, the air heavy with the weight of anticipation. Today would be the day. She could feel it in her bones, a deep, unsettling certainty that had settled over her like a shroud during the long, restless hours of the night.
She rose from bed and dressed quickly, her movements mechanical, driven by the knowledge that the time for action had arrived. As she tightened the laces on her boots, her mind wandered to Caden and Draven. She wondered if they were feeling the same undercurrent of tension, the same grim resolve that had taken hold of her.
The estate felt eerily calm as she made her way down the corridors, her footsteps ech
