The night bled into morning without mercy. Alina hardly remembered leaving the circle. One moment Kael’s grip burned against her skin, the next she was being ushered through the winding paths of the old temple by Serenya’s attendants. Their faces were blank, their eyes downcast, but their hands were firm, almost bruising on her arms.
When they shoved her into a chamber, she stumbled against a stone basin filled with dark water. It rippled without touch, as though whispering secrets she couldn’t hear.
“You will cleanse yourself,” Serenya said, her robes dragging along the floor like serpents. “The Shadow Court accepts only those prepared to kneel before its throne.”
Alina swallowed back the words threatening to spill from her lips. She wanted to scream at the Priestess, to demand release
