Chapter 131 The August Visitor

• Nina startled, her gaze snapping up from the sketch map. Darren’s eyes narrowed. He slowly placed the pen down, the sound of it touching the rug felt unnaturally loud. Then, with a silent gesture, he motioned for her to move into the room quietly, and shifted his weight noiselessly to his feet.
• Nina gently gathered the maps into her hands, their escape routes, their fragile hopes, every desperate mark glowing under the flickering firelight, squeezing them as she disappeared down the narrow hallway, bare feet whispering across the old floorboards.
• The knock came again. Three beats. Measured. Confident, as if whoever was outside knew they were being listened to.