Ashlyn behind her, the sharp knife raised high, its polished steel blade catching a single, terrifying glint of light.
Nora squeezed her eyes shut, a silent, choked prayer dying in her throat. This was it. This was the end. She had served her purpose, and now she would be silenced, just like Lorena.
She waited for the piercing, agonizing pain.
Instead, she heard a series of sharp, quick thwacks. The ropes binding her wrists and chest suddenly fell away, cut.
Nora gasped, a huge, shuddering breath filling her lungs. She was free. She looked up, her mind a complete blank of confusion.
Ashlyn was calmly wiping the knife blade clean on her cloak, her expression serene, a small, gentle smile on her lips. "Don't worry," she said, her voice a soft, reassuring whisper. "This is the main estate, after all. I wouldn't dare act so rashly here. I am not stupid."
