The air still hummed where the hunter’s shadow had been, an aftertaste of ice and ash clinging to my walls. None of us moved.
Sage was the first to break the silence. “That’s impossible,” she whispered, shaking her head as if she could undo the truth by refusing it. “The wards I laced into this house—none of them should’ve been able to get through. None.”
“They didn’t just get through.” My voice cracked. “They walked in. Like the spells weren’t even there.”
Sage’s eyes snapped to Alaric, suspicion sharp as glass. “What did you do?”
Alaric scoffed. “Me? You think I have time to dismantle your nursery rhymes before swooping in to play hero?”
“Don’t mock me,” Sage hissed, stepping closer. “I’ve kept her safe since her mother died. I know what I’m doing.”
“Clearly not well enough,” Alari
