(Adelaide)
“Coward,” she murmured.
She sat up, shoving the fur aside, letting it fall to her waist. The air lapped at her bare skin, hot and thick. The faint red glow from the walls painted her in ember-light.
She stared at the door. It stared back.
She considered screaming again. Considered throwing the water basin at it. Considered pounding her fists until her knuckles bled again just to do something.
Instead, she slid off the bed.
The smooth stone was warm under her feet, like it remembered fire. She could feel the faint thrum of the palace in the soles of her feet, like standing on the chest of a sleeping beast and praying it stayed asleep.
She walked slowly to the door, every step echoing in the strange stillness of the room. She pressed her palm flat against the iron.
“I know
