Ayla
I cracked open the door just an inch, two guards.
One was leaning against the wall across from my chambers, arms folded, eyes half-lidded with sleep. The other stood stiff and alert, too close for comfort. They’d rotated shifts again. Damien’s doing, no doubt.
I waited, breath shallow, then closed the door without a sound. If I wanted answers, I’d have to find another way out.
The wind moaned low outside the balcony doors. The fresh snowfall had muted the world, no creaking floorboards, no footsteps echoing in the corridors. Just white silence, and that ever-present feeling that something in this keep was watching. I moved to the hearth and pulled on my cloak, boots already laced. My breath ghosted in the air as I unlatched the balcony door and eased it open.
A gust of cold air s
