Seraphina’s POV

I practiced the Luna smile in the mirror, the one meant to reassure others more than myself. “Perfect,” I whispered. A servant’s muffled comment bled through the hall: The first Luna was special. This one’s just… here. The glass in my hand cracked, blood slipping down my palm.

A paper slid under my door, Dmitri’s seal. Tonight. The temple. We’re out of time. I burned it in the candle flame.

The hidden passage behind the library bookcase still held the scent of ...