The Royal Library

Three days after the blood ritual, Elara found herself drawn to the royal library. Her newly strengthened body still held traces of the transformation – a slight luminescence to her skin that seemed to pulse with her heartbeat, and an awareness of shadows that she'd never possessed before. Her silk gown, a deep midnight blue that shimmered with silver threads, whispered against the ancient stone floors as she walked.

The library doors – massive things carved from black oak and inlaid with silver runes – swung open at her approach, responding to her changed essence. The sound echoed through the cavernous space, disturbing dust motes that danced in the few rays of filtered light that managed to penetrate the high windows.