Fingerless Man

Skadi's words hung in the air, heavy and foreboding, sending a ripple of unease through Julie and Aisha.

Unlike most of the nobles or maids in Cassius's mansion—people who'd likely never set foot on a battlefield in their pampered lives—Skadi was different.

She'd spent a good chunk of her youth fighting, clawing her way through skirmishes and hunts as a warrior. So when she said she could smell something akin to a battlefield nearby, in a place where they were supposed to be safe, it wasn't just alarming—it was downright terrifying.

Julie's grip on her sword hilt tightened, her eyes darting around as she tried to piece it together.

"A battlefield?" She muttered, her voice low and tense. "Here? That doesn't add up. We've been at a party all night—drunk knights and desserts, not...not whatever this is." She glanced at Aisha, her brow furrowed. "What do you think? Some kind of trap? An attack we missed?"