"It’s not the blade you see coming that cuts the deepest—it’s the one buried by a trusted hand."
The words echoed in my mind as I stared at the crumpled letter in my hands, the royal seal broken and its contents burned into my memory. Betrayal. Treachery. The air felt heavy in my lungs, every breath weighted with the knowledge that someone close to us had sold secrets to Kael’s forces.
Asher stood across the room, his fists clenched at his sides. His anger was a storm barely restrained, his pacing a testament to the fire burning inside him. He had always been proud, protective, and this—this betrayal by one of his own—was a wound that cut deeper than any blade.
“Who else knows?” he demanded, his voice sharp enough to cut through stone.
“Just us and Edric,” I replied, my tone measured.
