KAREN’S POV

The shadows shouldn’t have failed.

I kept replaying that thought as I stood by the window, fingers digging into the sill until the wood cracked beneath my nails. Below me, the courtyard shimmered with moonlight, silver dust coating the stones like frost. My shadows—my loyal, obedient creations—had never failed before. They were supposed to be silent, invisible, efficient. But this time, they came back in pieces, ripped apart by a force I didn’t even understand.

...