Setting a Trap

The corridor beyond Aleksasha's chambers was hushed, the manor heavy with the weight of the past day's horrors. She and Matias had taken a brief reprieve from the outside world, but it was time to face the darkness creeping at the edges of their domain once more. They had a duty and she made a promise to get to the bottom of the murders.

Matias had left Aleksasha alone in her chambers to handle another matter, his absence leaving a quiet tension in the air. She pulled her robe tighter around her shoulders as she stepped into the hall, the wooden floor chilled beneath her feet despite the thick rugs that lined it. The scent of old wax and pine resin from freshly scrubbed surfaces did little to mask the lingering iron tang of blood. Somewhere beyond the reach of the sconces, the shadows clung to the manor's bones, whispering of things unseen.