Aurora's P.O.V

The night was quieter than usual. The stars hung above the treetops like scattered lanterns, their soft glow casting long shadows across the damp forest floor as Caleb and I made our way to the old greenhouse at the edge of the estate. It had once been a place of life and bloom, but now it was Alice's makeshift lab----dark, filled with the earthy smell of herbs and the sharp tang of metals and spell--bound runes. I could feel the tension buzzing in the air, ...