The castle had never felt so quiet.
Not peaceful.
Quiet.
There was a difference.
Peace felt warm.
This felt like the silence before a storm.
By sunrise, every gate had been locked.
Iron chains hung across the main entrance.
Guards stood at every corridor.
Archers watched from the towers.
No servant could leave without permission.
No visitor could enter.
Even the royal council was forbidden from moving between wings without an escort.
Kael had turned his own castle into a prison.
And everyone inside it was a prisoner.
Including me.
I stood beside the window in my room, watching soldiers patrol the courtyard below.
One passed.
Then another.
Then another.
Their weapons were drawn.
I wrapped my arms around myself.
"Everyone looks afraid."
Kael stood behind me.
"They sho
