The palace had barely recovered from Cassian’s disappearance when death struck again.
This time, the victim wasn’t a guard.
Or a servant.
It was Lord Edric.
The same council elder who had demanded Cassian’s confinement.
Just before dawn, a maid carrying breakfast knocked on his chamber door.
There was no answer.
She knocked again.
Silence.
When the guards forced the door open, the tray slipped from her hands and shattered across the floor.
Lord Edric sat upright in his chair beside the fireplace.
His eyes were wide open.
His mouth frozen in silent horror.
There wasn’t a single wound on his body…
Except for a thin line across his throat.
It was so clean that, for a moment, he looked almost peaceful.
Until the blood began dripping onto the floor.
The maid screamed.
Within m
