Whispers Through Stone

Melody.

The stone walls of her room felt different. After Rowan had unlocked the chains from her wrists, the weight of them had lifted—not just physically, but mentally. It felt like a door had opened that she had been locked away behind for too long. She rubbed at her wrists, the raw skin feeling sensitive to the touch, but that was nothing compared to the newfound freedom. The bindings were gone, but the burden of uncertainty still pressed on her chest.

Melody sat on the edge of the small bed, her fingers grazing the parchment Rowan had given her. The law that Elsbeth had passed for the firefoxes—equal rights, equal protections. She still couldn't quite comprehend it. How had she gone from being a weapon for Julia, a part of the destruction, to this? To someone who was being offered a chance at something she had never dared to dream of? It felt surreal.