I stood frozen on the threshold of my chamber, unable to move. The anguished cries of Keziah echoed through the corridor as the guards dragged her away. Only when their footsteps faded into the distance did I glance at my clenched fist, my nails pressing into the flesh of my palm, blood gathering beneath my skin. A tremor coursed through my body, but was it the adrenaline, or was it the unsettling realization that I had just committed an unforgivable act for the first time in my life?

Before I ...