Chapter 15 The Web Tightens

• The moon hung low over the palace, casting a silver sheen across the treetops like a warning whispered in light.
• In the southern wing of the palace, Lucia sat alone on the floor of her private chamber, her legs tucked beneath her, a thick journal spread across her lap. The air was too still, too heavy with silence. The golden flame of the hearth flickered—then bent unnaturally toward her.
• Her breath caught. “Not again.”