Shackles of Silver
Snow drifted through narrow slits in the fortress wall as Vera Lanst awoke to cold stone beneath her. Pain lanced through her wrists where silver-laced manacles bit into skin, their chains too-short to kneel or stand. Her breath came in ragged puffs, each inhalation stinging her ribs.
From the far corner of the cell, torchlight glimmered off a polished vial on a low shelf. Vera's chest tightened—wolf-toxin. They'd refined it to block shifting. With a soft curse, she tried to flex her fingers. The venom's burn pulsed beneath her skin, dulling strength in her limbs.
A heavy tread approached. The iron-barred door creaked open, and Imperial Envoy Cassius strode in, cloak trailing on straw-strewn floor. His black leather gloves gleamed. Behind him, two armored guards carri
