Sebastian’s POV
The underground chamber smelled of damp stone and burning torches. Shadows danced against the walls, alive with flickering light. I stepped into the circle of runes etched on the floor, my boots clicking against the rough surface. Beside me, the dark priest knelt, draped in tattered robes that had once been black but were now gray and stained. His face was hidden beneath a cowl, but I saw his hands move confidently, arranging bowls of ash and small vials of jeweled liquids.
I stood before him, cloak undone to reveal the braided strands of my hair, the sharp angles of my cheekbones, the faint tremor in my hands. Despite the danger—and perhaps because of it, I felt every nerve alive. Tonight was the night I would change my fate.
The priest looked up slowly, his voice a ras
