Evelyn stared at the silver key resting in her palm.
The lantern’s flame flickered, casting long shadows across the Moon Tower.
She rushed to the edge of the room and looked down the spiral staircase.
“Hello?”
Only silence answered.
The hooded stranger had vanished without a trace.
She hurried down the stairs, taking them two at a time, but by the time she reached the gardens, there was no one there.
The moonflowers swayed gently in the breeze.
It was as if the stranger had never existed.
⸻
“Evelyn?”
She spun around.
Lucas stood at the entrance to the garden.
His hands were tucked into the pockets of his jacket, concern written across his face.
“I’ve been looking for you.”
Her heart skipped.
“I… couldn’t sleep.”
Lucas raised an eyebrow.
“You usually take walks in abandone
