The moon hung pale in the sky, a thin mist curling along the cobbled streets of Veridium. Isadora, Sephrina, and Lucien met at the abandoned Dallé courtyard as planned. Sephrina was pacing, her face tight with irritation.
"Why here?" Sephrina snapped. "We need to move on Gaius before dawn."
Lucien gave them a tight smile. "You're right. But plans have changed. Stay here. I'll handle it."
"Wait—what?" Isadora stepped forward, her brows knitting. "You said we'd do this together."
Lucien's eyes softened as he brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. "And I meant it. But I can't risk you."
Before either woman could protest, his guards swiftly locked the courtyard's heavy iron gates behind them. Isadora ran to the bars, shaking them.
"Lucien!"
"I'm sorry," he murmured, turning away.
And then he was gone.
Lucien arrived at the Vale estate with his men, the night thick with tension. As they pushed through the grand doors, something felt off — too quiet, too dark.
And then—
Clang.
