Elijah’s pov
I spent that night patrolling the inner gates, listening to the wind whisper through the cracks in the wooden doors. Half my mind was on the patrol, the other half on Leila.
I walked between the watch fires, checking the soldiers’ posts, nodding to them as I passed. Their eyes were weary but determined. They’d seen Rusk and Glaydern taken to the Hollow Chamber; they knew the stakes.
When I reached the archway leading to the Lord’s quarters, I noticed two figures in the shadows, Ser Korous and Aria speaking in hushed tones. I slowed my steps, straining to hear.
“…someone brought him word last night,” Aria said, voice urgent. “A traitor’s letter, wrapped in blood. It detailed our battle plans, everything. If we’d lost that skirmish, the pack would be broken.”
Korous swallow
