Gabriel woke up early in the morning even before the sunrays could touch the palace premises. He grabbed his phone from the nightstand, and walked out to the drawing room where scrolled through the string of messages Karmen had sent late at night.
"Still no lead on a bloodsmith," he murmured to the empty room. The creases in his forehead deepened, carving lines of frustration into a face that hadn't seen proper rest in days.
"Gabriel."
The soft sound of his name made him look up. Amelie stood in the doorway, a wool shawl draped over her shoulders to ward off the morning chill. "Good morning," she said softly, passing him a small smile.
"You're up early," Gabriel noted, his voice sounding raspy even to his own ears.
