Secrets Everywhere

The next day in the Nightshade Castle,

The grand hall outside the recovery room was bathed in a somber glow, the soft flickering of enchanted lanterns casting shadows on the walls. The air was thick with tension and exhaustion, a silence that neither Sabina nor Silvia could bear to break.

For more than a day, they had stood waiting, their nerves stretched thin, their minds replaying the events that led them here over and over again.

The wait was agonizing.

Rowena and Isola were both lying unconscious inside, battling the aftermath of a war that had torn their world apart.

Multiple physicians, some of the best the Nightshade Kingdom had to offer, were inside—working tirelessly to tend to their wounds.

But it had been so long, and neither of them had woken up yet.

Sabina crossed her arms, tapping her fingers impatiently against her bicep while leaning against the cold stone wall.