Astrid tightened her grip on the ropes binding Lilith, her mind racing with questions. "Why were you pretending to be my mother? Who sent you?" she demanded.
Lilith winced, her eyes darting around the small cottage. "I was forced to do it," she confessed, her voice trembling. "They threatened my family. Please, you have to believe me."
Astrid's gaze hardened. "Who are 'they'? And where is my real mother?"
Lilith hesitated, tears welling in her eyes. "Dante's men. They have her in the Darkwoods Castle. But there's more... Your mother knows something, a secret that Dante is desperate to uncover."
Astrid's heart pounded in her chest. "What secret?"
Before Lilith could answer, a loud noise outside the cottage drew Astrid's attention. She peered through the window to see a shadowy figure a
