Shadows Beneath the Snow

The storm arrived at dusk.

Seraphina stood at the window of her chambers, watching as the first flakes of snow drifted from the sky, slow and deliberate, before the wind picked up and sent them swirling against the glass.

The mountains beyond the keep were already shrouded in mist, their jagged peaks barely visible in the fading light. The storm would make travel impossible for days—perhaps longer.

Not that she had anywhere to go.

She had spent the afternoon wandering the halls of Ravenglade, mapping its corridors, its stairways, its quiet, empty rooms. The eastern wing had been locked, just as Alistair had ordered, and the guards stationed near its entrance made it clear that she would not get through so easily.

A precaution, he had said.

But a precaution against what?

Seraphina sighed, pressing her forehead lightly against the cold glass.

One month.

One month to understand the man she had bound herself to. One month to unravel the secrets lurking in the shadows of this place.

And one month to decide if she would stay.

The thought sent an odd, uneasy feeling through her chest.

She had never been meant to stay.

A soft knock at the door pulled her from her thoughts.

"Come in," she called.

The door opened, revealing Alice, the maid from the night before. She carried a tray of tea, steam curling in the dim candlelight.

"My lady," Alice murmured with a small curtsy. "I thought you might want something warm before the storm worsens."

Seraphina offered a faint smile. "Thank you."

Alice hesitated, then placed the tray on the table beside the hearth. Her hands fidgeted with the folds of her apron.

"My lady…" She hesitated again, as if weighing her words. "You should be careful."

Seraphina's gaze sharpened. "Careful of what?"

Alice glanced toward the door, as if expecting someone to be listening. "The keep is old," she said carefully. "Older than any of us. It remembers things."

A chill ran through Seraphina's spine, one that had nothing to do with the cold. "What do you mean?"

But Alice only shook her head.

"Just… be careful," she murmured. And then, before Seraphina could press her further, she turned and slipped out the door.

Seraphina stared after her, unease prickling at her skin.

The keep remembers things.

A poetic way of saying it held ghosts.

---

The storm howled through the night, rattling the windows, seeping through the cracks in the stone.

Sleep did not come easily.

Somewhere, beneath the sound of the wind, she swore she could hear it again—that faint, whispering pull from the eastern wing.

Not words. Not quite.

Just the sense of something waiting.

Watching.

She turned onto her side, staring into the dying embers of the fire.

She would not sleep. Not tonight.

Instead, she would find answers.

---

The halls of Ravenglade were silent as she slipped from her chambers, her cloak drawn tight around her shoulders.

Most of the keep had already retired for the night. The guards had changed shifts, and the storm would keep anyone from wandering far.

Which meant now was her best chance.

Seraphina moved carefully, keeping to the edges of the torchlight, her footsteps near-silent against the stone. The corridors stretched on, winding like veins through the heart of the keep, leading her closer and closer to the locked doors of the eastern wing.

She had expected the guards to be stationed there, just as they had been during the day.

But the corridor was empty.

She hesitated, a frown tugging at her lips.

Had they abandoned their post?

Or had something else sent them away?

A faint unease curled in her stomach, but she pushed it down. If the guards were gone, that meant she had a chance.

She stepped forward, pressing her palm against the heavy iron door.

The frost beneath her fingers felt almost… alive.

Breathing.

She exhaled slowly, then pushed.

The door groaned open, revealing darkness.

A cold wind rushed past her, carrying the scent of something ancient.

And within the blackness, something shimmered.

Silver light, pulsing like a heartbeat.

Seraphina stepped inside.

And the door slammed shut behind her.

---