The palace woke to tension.
Not loud.
Not chaotic.
But sharp.
Like something had already begun
before anyone noticed.
Lyra felt it before she heard it.
The shift.
The unease crawling through the corridors like something unseen.
She stepped into the training grounds just as voices began to rise.
Guards.
Arguing.
One of them turned as she approached, immediately straightening.
“My Queen.”
“What happened?” Lyra asked.
A pause.
Then
“We caught someone near the inner walls.”
Lyra’s expression stilled.
“Inside?”
The guard nodded.
“Not one of ours.”
That alone was enough.
“Where is he now?”
“He didn’t make it,” the guard said.
Silence followed.
Too quick.
Too convenient.
Lyra stepped forward.
“Show me.”
The body lay just beyond the training grounds.
Covered
but not
