CRYSTAL

Morning arrived at a cruelly slow pace. I lay awake the entire night, staring through the narrow window of my new chamber, watching patrol guards pace the courtyard below. The room Winter had given me was nothing like what I had expected.

It was small, yes, but it was furnished with a proper mattress, a cupboard, and thick stone walls that held warmth instead of damp. Compared to the cold, leaking cell Freya had shoved me into, this place felt almost merciful. Safe.

At dawn, sharp ...