No one slept that night.
The mark on Ronan’s neck had changed everything.
He sat alone in the palace infirmary, staring at the floor while healers examined him one after another.
None of them understood the symbol.
None of them could remove it.
Outside his room, Kaelira stood with her hand resting against the closed door.
She could hear him breathing.
He was alive.
For now.
But every second the mark remained…
The Puppet Master grew stronger.
Kaelira closed her eyes.
“I’m not losing him.”
Not after everything they had survived.
Not like this.
Before dawn, Kaelira gathered Lucien, the Royal Healers, and the oldest members of the Blood Guard inside the Forbidden Library.
Ancient books covered every table.
Dust filled the air as forgotten scrolls were unrolled for the first ti
