POV: Roxana
I pressed myself deeper into the shadows as boots pounded past on the other side of the stone wall, my breath held so tightly my chest ached. Magnus's voice carried through the corridor again, sharp and furious, ordering guards to check every cell, every corner, every shadow.
I could not stay here. If they searched carefully enough, they would find the loose stone, and then there would be no explanation clever enough to save me.
I crept back along the narrow passage toward the gap Celeste had led me through, my fingers scraping against damp stone as I moved as quietly as my shaking legs would allow. When I reached the opening, my stomach dropped. Celeste was gone.
I squeezed through the gap anyway, praying the guards near the main corridor were still distracted by the chaos
