The corridors of the Northern Citadel whispered with a silence too loud to ignore. Avelyn walked through them like a phantom—light-footed, uncertain. Her fingers grazed the carved walls etched with ancient sigils that pulsed faintly under her touch. Even with all its grandeur—the soaring arched ceilings, obsidian stone veins glowing with moonlight energy—she felt like a stranger dressed in someone else's destiny.
Her thoughts echoed Kaelen's words like a relentless drumbeat.
"You will stay here. Under my protection."
"I'd rather they find a queen than a corpse."
She pressed a palm to her chest, right above the trembling that wouldn’t still. It wasn’t fear. Not exactly.
"Why don’t I fear him?" she whispered to herself.
A voice deep inside her laughed, but offered no answer.
She had g
