The night stretched deep and silent over the castle, the red moon bleeding faint light through the stained glass corridors. The guards had changed shifts, unaware of the shadow that moved between them.
Reva moved quickly but silently. Her long hair was tied back, her usual elegance stripped away for the sake of stealth. Every corner she turned, she paused—listening for footsteps, watching the reflections on the marble floor.
She knew the layout well enough, but the Isolation Chamber wasn't part of any known floor plan. It lay beneath the castle, in the old sanctum built during the Age of Blood. Only a few among them had access to it. And she wasn't supposed to be one of them tonight.
Getting there took time—she had to distract a few guards with illusions, disable one of the sentry drones with her aura, and steal an access sigil from a slumbering watchman. Each step forward made her heartbeat louder in her chest.
