CHAPTER 13: THE CHAINS OF SILENCE
PART I: THE SKINNERS’ TRAP
The return to the Quartz Palace had begun under auspices that Mia and Béa would have called triumphant, had their corsets not prevented them from breathing properly. In the hollow of her hand, beneath her fine silk glove, Mia felt the round, reassuring shape of the mother-of-pearl button. It was more than a piece of carved shell; it was proof, an anchor of hope for Elowen, and the key to an alliance no one had seen coming.
The ceremonial sleigh glided over the snow with a steady, almost hypnotic hiss. Behind them, Anton and Karl, their lifelong guardians, maintained a respectful but vigilant distance. Their mountain mounts, broad-hoofed beasts accustomed to steep slopes, left deep ruts in the powder.
But as the last lights of
