Chapter 20:
The Escape
**Raven's POV**
I was helping prepare defenses when Maya found me.
Her clothes were covered in blood. Her hands shaking. Her eyes wide with shock.
"Maya!" I grabbed her shoulders. "What happened? Are you hurt?"
"Not my blood," she gasped. "It's Owen's. Victor attacked us. In the archives. He tried to kill us."
My blood ran cold. "What?"
"We found evidence. Financial records. Proof Victor's been working with Rowan for years. We were copying everything and Victor just... he appeared. Had my journal. Tried to kill us." Tears streamed down her face. "Owen got stabbed protecting me. He's with the healers now."
I pulled her into a fierce hug, my mind racing. "You're safe now. That's what matters."
"Victor's been arrested. Kieran has him in the prison cells." May
