Chapter 58: The Masked Intruder
The moon hung low over Valerius Manor, its pale silver light spilling through the velvet curtains of Hannah's guest chamber, painting soft streaks across the polished wooden floor and the expensive silk sheets of the large bed.
The manor had long fallen into quiet stillness—servants had retired to their quarters, guards patrolled the outer walls at a slow, steady pace, and even the crackling fireplaces in the distant halls had dimmed to glowing embers.
Most inhabitants of the grand manor slept soundly, unaware of the danger that had slipped inside its walls.
Hannah did not sleep.
After the tense meeting in the sitting room, her nerves had remained coiled tight, every sense sharpened by the day's chaos, the cult's threat, and the secret of the dragon egg pressed against her torso, its faint, steady thrumming a constant reminder that she was never truly safe.
