Page 17 of Crowned In Venom

I do not hesitate.

I move fast, soundless, a predator hunting something that does not yet realize it is prey.

The hall twists, leading toward one of the servant’s passages—the one she noticed earlier.

And then, I see it.

A figure.

Draped in dark robes, hooded, faceless in the dim light.

Watching me.

Waiting.

Not a servant.

Not a guard.

Something else.

Something that should not be here.

I take a step forward, my blade gleaming in the firelight. “If you run, I will make it worse for you.”

The figure does not run.

Instead, they smile.

A slow, knowing thing.

And then—they vanish.

One blink, and they are gone.

Not possible.

I surge forward, but when I reach the space where they stood, there is nothing.

No sound.

No scent.

Only the faintest trace of something metallic in the air.

Magic.

A chill spreads through my chest, cold and slow, sinking into my bones.

Someone has entered my domain.

Someone is watching.

And if they are watching me?—

They are watching her.

I turn back toward my chamber, my heartbeat steady but too slow, too heavy.

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