The vision dragged her deeper…
The night was cloaked in absolute darkness, the kind that pressed on the soul. The only illumination was the pale, silver glow of the moon, its light falling gently upon the palace roofs and glistening over the stones like liquid frost. The air was still… Too still.
In that quiet, she saw it, an opening high above one of the palace walls. From the shadows, a coil of black rope slid down, so soft and soundless it seemed to melt into the night. One by one, two figures descended, their movements unnervingly fluid.
They landed without a sound, knees bent, bodies low, their centers of gravity steady so that their steps flowed like a glide rather than clumsy stomps. Each step was intentional. They paused, froze, and listened. Then, they moved again. Not as men b
