The fortress walls had always been carved from stone so thick they swallowed sound. Elaria had learned, in her weeks trapped here, that silence was not peace—it was simply the fortress’ nature. No matter how heated an argument or how loud a sparring match, the noise always seemed to sink into the stones, leaving only an echo.

But tonight the stones did not hold it.

Whispers vibrated through the castle. They gathered in hallway corners, slithered down hallways, and floated through ...