Elis
I stood at the window, arms folded behind my back, watching moonlight stretch long over the courtyard. The ache in my side had healed but the memory hadn't. That cloaked figure. The silent grace. The way they moved like smoke. They hadn't broken in. They'd appeared. The implications clawed at my mind.
A knock broke the silence. Sharp and controlled. "Enter." I ordered.
Douglas stepped in, spine rigid and lips drawn tight. "The palace is on lockdown. No one enters or leaves without my direct clearance."
I turned from the window, fixing my gaze on him. "And yet someone is already inside."
His jaw clenched. "No forced entry. No gaps in the patrol. The guards… they saw nothing. It's like he wasn't there at all."
"Materialized," I said flatly. "He didn't breach our walls, he bypassed them." Douglas didn't speak, but the way his eyes darkened said everything. Magic. I exhaled, slow and cold. "Someone let him in. Or someone summoned him." The words were bitter in my mouth. The palace was supposed to be the one place untouched by the chaos brewing beyond the borders. But the corruption had crept in, silent and unseen. "I need names, Douglas. Anyone suspicious. Anyone with access to the old wards or the royal wing."
He gave a short nod. "I'll handle it myself."
"Double the guards at my chamber," I said, turning back toward the window. "And the healer's wing."
There was a beat of silence before Douglas answered, "Understood."
When the door closed behind him, I remained still, eyes scanning the shadowed edges of the courtyard. Magic. Betrayal. They were inside now. If they thought to catch me off-guard, they had failed. Next time, I would be ready.
***
Lily's pov
Eunice paced like the floor might catch fire if she stopped. Her mouth was tight with worry, arms folded across her chest as candlelight threw her shadow over the walls like a restless phantom. "This has never happened before," she muttered. "Inside the king's chambers; unseen, unheard, how is that possible?"
I sat on the edge of the bed, watching her. The air still felt heavy from earlier, like it hadn't fully settled. "I heard that Douglas doubled the guards."
"He did," Eunice said, "but that won't stop the kind of threat we're facing." She turned to me. "Steel can't hold back magic." Her words landed like a strike to the chest. "Lily…" she sat down beside me, her voice low. "You're more than a healer. You've always known that." I swallowed but didn't answer. She continued, more carefully now. "Strange things have happened since you arrived. Things that have no logical explanation. The king is being targeted in ways we don't understand. And you…" her eyes softened "...you care about him, don't you?"
I met her gaze. "I do." There was no point hiding it anymore.
Eunice nodded, not surprised. "Then you understand. You may be the only one who can truly protect him."
I let the silence stretch for a heartbeat, then said, "Are you asking me to cast spells over the king?"
"I'm asking you," she replied gently, "to do whatever it takes."
My eyes drifted toward the diary lying open on the table. Miriam's voice echoed in my mind like a whisper caught between worlds. If you're reading this, your powers have awakened. Power without knowledge is destruction. I turned back to Eunice. "As long as I am in this palace, nothing will happen to the king."
She searched my face, looking for hesitation. There was none. Satisfied, she stood. "I'll leave you to rest. There's much to prepare before dawn."
I stopped her at the door. "Eunice." She turned. "Tell the king… he's safe."
Her eyes softened, just for a moment. Then she nodded and slipped out, leaving me in the quiet hum of candlelight and unease. I crossed to the diary and picked it up. My fingers trembled slightly, tracing the old leather edges. This wasn't just about Elis anymore. This was about me. About the thing inside me that had stirred the winds, whispered from the shadows, and now hummed through my very blood. They weren't just coming for the king. They were coming for me.