As soon as the hidden door finished opening, something shifted in the air. It wasn’t loud or obvious, but you could feel it—like the palace itself was suddenly holding its breath, watching Nyra.
The darkness past the door wasn’t just the absence of light. It felt heavy—too present, as if it had leaked out from some buried place. Nyra stood there, hand still pressed to the edge of the door, feeling the faint buzz of some mechanism behind the stone.
Kael stayed where he was behind her. He said nothing, but she could feel his eyes on her. Tense. Cautious. Maybe warning her.
Nyra swallowed slowly. She’d opened it. She didn’t mean to—at least, not completely. But the door was open, and there was no going back, no pretending she hadn’t found it.
The gap was thin—just wide enough for her to g
