ela Montoy

before. The noise was chaos, yes, but at least things were happening. This silence... it

ying so still. Something tickled her nose – dust. Oh no, a sneeze! She choked it back hard. Pain stung her t

Had the men left? The men with the

h

ough her. It wasn't a sharp sound like before. This was

ea

r throat. She tried to push herself flatter against the carved table leg. Just melt aw

of the house maids she knew. These steps felt heavy with scary confidence. The weight seemed to

Closer. Then stopped. Rig

lease, no, the prayer looped frantically in her head. Please don't let them open the door.Please just go away. Her own

the heavy quiet. The door started to swing inwards. It scraped softly against the rug. A shar

ething dark, darker than dirt. The feet didn't move for a long moment. Isabela imagined eyes looking around the room – the knock

her well enough. A tiny shake started in her legs. She couldn't stop it. Did he

loser. Then further away, towards the window. A pause. Then closer ag

times brought home after hunting. He was right there. Just on the other side of the table top, the hanging cloth. So close. She squeezed her eyes shut harder. Tried to make

But this silence felt tight, ready to snap with discovery. S

velvet cloth w

king fast. White spots danced in front of her eyes. Tears streamed down, making everything blurry. Slowly, slowly, the shapes

visited. His jaw was tight, hard. Sweat slicked his dark, messy hair flat against his forehead. A thin, angry cut near his temple still bled slowly. It made a startling red track against his pale skin. H

m. They weren't scared or wild eyes. They were sharp, watching eyes. They took in her shaking body with a cold focus that seemed to see right th

e she stood-feeling as exposed and fragile as a butterfly displayed under glass. He wasn't loud chaos lik

d her. His dark eyes took in the details: her tear-stained cheeks, the way her whole body shook, how she pushed herself back against the table leg as if willing the wood to absorb her. Fo

It had a rough edge, like rocks scraping together. It wasn't loud, but it

you h

Isabela could only shake her head silently. Fresh tea

with a stare that burned. He saw the new tears, the deep shock clear on her sm

opped even lower. It was a deadly promise

no softness. They ripped away any small hope she might have held onto wi

in the air. It felt tight with a hidden anger she could almost feel prickling her skin. "Every. Last. One. And I will make them pay for what they did

o comfort her. Not at all. It felt like a cold, heavy chain clicking shut around her. Tying her to him. Tying her to the awful things t

er own ragged breathing and, somewhere far away, the spit and crackle of fire eating

final. "Don't move. Don't make a sound," he said, his voice l

ust managed a quick, jerky nod. Her eyes we

tood up tall again. He looked around the wrecked library one last time, quickly. His face was hard, impossible to read. Then he turne

k. It held nothing now but his terrifying promise. The echo of his vow, "I will make them pay. I promi