The marriage of shadows

or a moment, she couldn't move, her body frozen in place. Shadows danced across the ceiling of her chamb

th a presence she couldn't name. Her heart raced as sh

he told herself. This plac

ust the castle. Something had been

xpecte

gh Velina told herself she was relieved, a part

t on her plate, the stewa

and formal. "His Highness requests your pr

n eyebrow. "The

aid you might find

, the steward bowed again and left, lea

dering the castle, yet now he was inviting h

to find Kael waiting for her. He stood by a large, arched

said without

choice," she replied, k

is expression unreadable. "Tell me

off guard. "I don't kn

depicting scenes of battles and strange rituals. The air felt colder here, and Velina cou

stone and mortar. It is a relic of a time long forgotten, a p

hat does that have

urface carved with intricate symbols that se

e lined with shelves that stretched up to the vaulted ceiling, fill

breath catching at the si

here a single book lay open. "This is where the tru

d drawings, but what caught her attention was the image on the open page-a woman standi

asked, her voice bar

ense as he looked a

rous Co

age, her mind racing. "

sion darkened

ld. "What are yo

rs. "You think your presence here is an accident?

t wasn't my choice," she said, her voic

er smile. "And yet, here you a

acking away from the

his castle has been waiting for someone like you for centuries

h caught. "Wha